Live and Let Die
by Stella1511
Summary: The arrival of Beaxbatons student, Scorpius Malfoy, destroys everything Albus Potter thought about the world. Albus struggles with the alluring presence of his new friend and the life he was so comfortable with before they met.
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1_

The familiar bustle of the Gryffindor common room comforted Albus Potter's nerves. He never failed to feel nervous at the beginning of each school year. After a summer at home, returning to the grandness of the great hall scared Albus to no end. He was always confused when he father, the famous Harry Potter, spoke of the great hall. He would always say that entering that room reminded him of home. For Albus, it was a place of anxiety. He thought back to his sorting in the first year; Albus had been so nervous, so scared he would be placed in Slytherin unlike his brother and the rest of his family. That is what the great hall would always remind him of.

Albus cursed himself for being so stupid. He was in his sixth year and was still intimidated by a room. A room! Well, maybe it was the hundreds of students staring at him as well. He was the spitting image of his father and the other students were fascinated with him. His experience of making friends in the first year had consisted of attempting to weed out the people who wanted to be friends with Albus Potter, the son of the chosen one and saviour of the wizarding world, and those who wanted to be friends with just Albus. For an eleven-year-old boy, it was not the easiest of tasks.

"Have you been drinking fire-whiskey, numpty? You look a little bit out of it?"

Albus didn't bother looking up, recognising the voice of his older brother immediately. He wouldn't tell James, but he had been offered a glass. He had accepted it, as the rest of his friends had before him. He was nicely buzzed.

James was in his final year of Hogwarts and had suddenly become far too serious for Albus' liking. He said he was going to focus on this studies this year, something he had never done before. James and he had always been close but they were very different people. James had a natural charm about him. Everybody loved him. Minister Shacklebolt once said James reminded him of the man he was named after, the original James Potter. That had made Albus' brother very happy. Albus thought it made his father very happy too.

Albus smiled up to his brother, "Of course I haven't my dear brother."

"Well, can I join you or is it too embarrassing to have your older brother hanging around you?" James grinned mockingly, sitting him on the arm of the sofa, next to Albus.

"You're always welcome here, James," One of Albus' friends Paige piped up. She had a huge crush on James, as did half the female population of Hogwarts, and was not scared to hide it. The brother shared an amused look and let slip a little laugh.

It wasn't long until James' friends (or as Albus called them, James' faithful minions) joined Albus' group. The usual chatter began and Albus found himself quickly bored. What did you do this summer? Did you go on holiday? Oh I got the latest Firebolt edition a few weeks ago! Did you see there's a new Weasley product being released? Albus wondered if anyone else noticed that it was the same old talk as they had every year.

The common room became quieter and Albus glanced around to see what was going on. McGonagall stood at the fireplace of the common room. Albus found it entertaining the old woman had such respect amongst the loudest and most boisterous house in the whole school.

McGonagall seemed satisfied with the near silence and cleared her throat. It was then that Albus noticed the boy next to her. He did not recognise this face, yet he wore the Gryffindor colours. He was not a first year, that was for sure. He was tall and lean. He had no signs of stubble but had a mature and certain face, Albus thought. He must be at least fifteen. The boy scanned the room and Albus couldn't tell whether it was an analysis of curiosity or of arrogance.

McGonagall's voice finally broke through the room, "Ladies and gentlemen!" Anybody who was still speaking came to an abrupt stop, "I am pleased to see many familiar faces and of course, some new. I would like to welcome the new first years to this house, and I hope you will all do the same. I wish you a happy and prosperous time at Hogwarts school. I would like to reinstate the rules you heard our headmaster, Professor Shacklebolt, asserted previously. There are serious consequences for any student who disobeys these rules. If you are unsure of any of these rules, please do not hesitate to inquire this evening," McGonagall finished her usual welcome speech and turned her attentions to the older students, "As seventh years already know, this is your last year and you are expected to concentrate fully on your studies. I wish you good luck in your year ahead and hope you enjoy your final year in Hogwarts."

While McGonagall addressed the fifth years about their OWLS, Albus glanced at James from the corner of his eye and sensed the anxiety in his brother's eyes. It was something Albus never truly saw in his brother and it made him nervous too.

Albus turned back to McGonagall and her speech continued, "Furthermore, I have a new student to introduce you too. He is a sixth year, transferred from Beaxbatons. This is Scorpius."

The teacher put a hand on the boy's shoulder and Scorpius smiled slightly. Albus couldn't tear his eyes away from the boy. Scorpius had an aura about him. His smile was not transparent, Albus couldn't tell what he was thinking or what the smile meant. Was the new boy nervous? Was he just unfriendly or cold? Albus was intrigued. He studied the blond more carefully and was instantly struck by his eyes. They were a piercing blue, he felt as if Scorpius could stare into someone's soul.

After what felt like a lifetime of being lost in his own world, Albus realised his eyes were locked onto the new boy's. Scorpius was watching him too. He lowered his head in embarrassment, pulling his eyes away from the other boy for a moment. He lifted his head and couldn't help but find those blue eyes again. Scorpius was smiling at him.

"… hope you will all welcome Scorpius into Gryffindor house."

McGonagall's words started to register in Albus' head and he snapped out of it. He tried hard not to peep at the strange boy again but he found himself watching Scorpius out of the corner of his eye. He attempted to stop himself over and over. He knew he didn't _want_ to look at Scorpius, but Albus couldn't stop.

"Geoffrey," McGonagall called, "Could you come here and meet Scorpius. He will be in your dorm, show him where it is please."

Geoffrey was Albus' friend and also roommate. Albus bit his life and watched Scorpius again as he followed Geoffrey upstairs. He walked with a grace Albus had never witnessed from anybody but film stars. A slow realisation dawned on Albus that this meant Scorpius would be in his room also. Albus didn't know how that made him feel, he had never been so unnerved by just one person. Scorpius made him more nervous than the whole of the great hall and all the people in it.

"Scorpius who though?" Louis Weasley, Albus and James' cousin, asked with furrowed eyebrows.

Most of the friends shrugged it off but Harry, one of James' best friends and ironically named after their father, piped up, "I know exactly who that is. There are not many Scorpius' out there. Especially one's with blond hair like that. He's Scorpius Malfoy."

Albus knew the name immediately. There was a Draco Malfoy that his father had been to school with. His father had always said that he had been quite foul at school but said he had a lot of pressure from his family he would be never hold anything against the man. Others spoke of Draco Malfoy differently. They said he had been a death eater and once James had told Albus that he had heard that Draco Malfoy killed Albus Dumbledore. However, Albus' father still defended him. His father had been there and said that was not true, and Draco Malfoy being a death eater was not a decision made solely by the man himself.

James had his eyebrows raised and spat out, "He's not _Draco_ Malfoy's son?"

Harry nodded, "I think so."

"How did he end up in Gryffindor?" This statement from his brother confused Albus. He didn't know why it would matter in this day and age. With everything that happened in the war, pureblood names and stereotypes did not truly matter anymore. But everyone always listened to James; if Albus questioned James he would just call him naïve. So he just nodded along.

"The Slytherins might have sent an inside spy," Albus' friend David, or ditsy Dave as they liked to call him.

"So they can find out that we're going to win again? That's pointless," James joked and of course everyone laughed.

The conversation quickly turned to Quidditch as it usually did and as captain of Gryffindor, James talked about his upcoming plans for the year. Albus quickly zoned out; he was a chaser on the team but he had heard this all summer anyway. His interest in Quidditch began and ended at Hogwarts whereas James seemed to be obsessed with the sport.

About an hour on, Albus decided to take a break from the same old conversation and go to unpack. His friends wasted no time in giving him a hard time but Albus knew how to deal with them off by heart.

When Albus walked into the dorm he was expecting solitude and was excited for it, however the sight of Scorpius Malfoy greeted him.

The boy was lounged on the windowsill, his head turned to stare out of the window to look at the Hogwarts grounds. Albus was again fascinated by the elegance of the boy in front of him; the way his fair hair fell over his eyes and he would brush the strands with long fingers without a flinch from the rest of his body. One of his long legs hung off the stone wall, rocking back and forth slightly in a soothing pace and the other rested against the glass. No matter what anybody else thought of Scorpius, there was certain quality about Scorpius Malfoy that meant you just couldn't keep your eyes away.

Albus realised it had probably been a minute since he had opened the door but Scorpius had not noticed so he tried to slip in as quietly as possible. However, this time Scorpius heard him and slowly turned his head around and he fixed his gaze on Albus with an unreadable demeanor.

Albus momentarily panicked; a sense of inferiority washed over him. How could anything he say something that would even remotely interest such a person.

Without thinking, a hi slipped out of from his lips and he closed his eyes in embarrassment because his voice falters.

To Albus' surprise, Scorpius simply smirked and eyes brightened, "Hi."

The Potter was confused even more by Scorpius' reaction. He had seemed so serious and cold in the common room. He was a mystery, without doubt.

"I am Scorpius. Scorpius Malfoy," The new student appeared to sense Albus' anxiety but Albus felt another wave of embarrassment wash over him. Scorpius' voice was like velvet. He spoke with a French accent but there was no hesitation; he spoke English confidently and Albus had to resist a stray of thoughts and questions about Scorpius' language expertise.

Albus managed to splutter, "I'm A-Albus Potter."

"I know, you look extraordinarily like your father," Scorpius said, studying the Potter's face, "And Geoffrey told me about everyone that lived in this dorm."

"Oh-oh..." Albus gathered his mind and decided he needed to be more forward if he was to live with this guy. He couldn't be a bumbling idiot for the next two years, "So... you went to Beaxbatons? What was it like there?"

"Yes, I did. It was a good school, the students were very nice and the teachers. I loved all my subjects. I liked it there a lot however my father got a job here and I decided to move to Hogwarts also."

Albus didn't think about how illogical that sounded when attending a wizarding boarding school where something like distance was not a problem. He found himself hanging off Scorpius' every word.

Scorpius was still smirking at him as Albus seemed to lose his ability to speak yet again. As if Scorpius sensed this, he restarted the conversation, "How is being in the Potter/Weasley clan then?"

Albus suddenly stilled. He assumed this was some sort of jab against his family. He knew there was an ancestorial rivalry, particularly between the Weasleys and the Malfoys. He didn't know whether Malfoy senior had passed on this prejudice to his son.

"It's great, they're all great," Albus realised his tone was defensive immediately and Scorpius raised his eyebrows. Scorpius still smiled at Albus' response as if he understood his reaction. He felt like Scorpius understood him immediately and while other people may have judged him for being so snappy on first meeting, Scorpius appeared to just accept it. And for some reason, that made Albus all the more agitated.

They fell into silence and Albus lost Scorpius' gaze. He stood there awkwardly however Scorpius stayed at ease. Albus watched as Scorpius reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. Alarms went off in the Potter's head; smoking was not allowed in the castle and only at certain parts of the grounds. More importantly, only those of age were allowed to smoke and Albus didn't know if Scorpius was of age.

When Albus was about to say something, the blond placed a cigarette between plump lips and Albus' brain went to mush again. The end of the cigarette set fire without Albus noticing whether or not Scorpius even got his wand out. Scorpius glanced up at Albus through his lashes and gave that same smirk that Albus thought would be embedded in his mind for the rest of his life.

Geoffrey chose that moment to walk into the room and Albus internally cursed his friend.

"Hey Scorpius, do you want a quick tour of the castle? I can show you some of it before curfew," Geoffrey said with a smile.

"Yes, that would be good," Scorpius started to stand up.

"Oh, you can't smoke in the castle, I'll show you where you can though."

Scorpius nodded and threw the cigarette out of the crack of the window, "Thank you."

Scorpius stood up and was still smiling between Albus and Geoffrey. He walked to the door when Albus realised he must have stepped away from it while talking to Scorpius.

Albus managed an apprehensive smile when Scorpius walked past and he was yet again surprised by the boy when he turned around and said, "It was nice to meet you, Albus."

The brunette opened his mouth, closed it again, then plucked up the courage and replied, "It was nice to meet you too."

Scorpius flashed him one last smile before him and Geoffrey left and the door closed behind them.

Albus tried to mull over what just happened. But he couldn't make sense of it. He stood there for all of five minutes, staring at the spot Scorpius was sitting in. His mind was muddled and he decided to sit down.

The only thought he could muster with complete clarity was that it would be a shame that he wouldn't be able to watch Scorpius smoke all the time.

Albus found himself drifting off to sleep and let it happen.

-x-

 _Hi guys! Hope you all enjoyed this first chapter, I haven't written ahead but hope to get the new chapter done soon. I haven't written for a few years so I feel like I'm a little out of it! Please review with any feedback, it would be great to hear from you all!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

Albus opened his eyes and blinked a few times, gazing at the red curtains which swept above him. It always took Albus a few days to get used to sleeping in the dorm after a summer at home. He loved his bed at home and loved waking up in a room alone. With a bunch of teenage boys who did not hesitate to rip into their friends first thing in the morning, or bring girls back and leave the others to have the awkward morning after conversation, or even wank as soon as they wake up and forget to do a silencing charm, was far too unpredictable for Albus who loved a quiet morning.

He slowly lifted his head and arranged his pillows so he was sitting up. Albus had Care of Magical Creatures for his first lesson of the year, his first lesson building up to his NEWTS. Albus thought about how much James had changed since he began studying for his NEWTS and he hoped he wouldn't do the same. Albus was a steady student; he always received good, but not outstanding grades. He was hardworking but never excessive like his cousin Rose nor did he have no interest like Teddy when he was in Hogwarts.

The one comforting thing was that Care of Magical Creatures was his favourite and best subject. He loved being around the animals and Professor Lovegood was good friends with his father and she always paid a lot of attention to Albus and his studies. She always said she recognised a person's ability to connect with animals from a mile off and that Albus had it. Albus never truly expressed his love for the subject to anyone, not friends, not family. Rose always said that COMC was a worthless subject and there was no point _Chapter_ doing it. Professor Lovegood had been the one to persuade him to carry on with the subject and Albus had pretended to be indifferent to the decision, but he was truly happy that he had an excuse to do the subject.

Albus' biggest secret was his fascination with dragons. He found dragons amazing; he dreamt about them, read about them, when he was younger he used to draw them. He had visited the Romanian reserve countless times as his Uncle Charlie worked there and he quietly dreamed of working there too. They had the larger range of species there and it was the biggest reserve in the world. All the best dragon tamers worked there. The only thing that held him back, was the complaints of his family. They would always comment on Charlie's distance and that he wouldn't visit them enough. Albus didn't want to be on the receiving end of his family's wrath. Maybe he would work on the reserve one day, he didn't know. But he didn't want to listen to anybody's negative opinions at this time in his life.

Albus found his eyes drifting closed again and continued fighting it, but struggled immensely. Albus groaned, knowing he shouldn't have had so many lie ins during the summer.

"Tired, hm?"

Albus' head snapped up, eyes wide. Scorpius Malfoy stood there, that same confusing smirk plastered on his face. Albus' mouth hung open; he felt as if he was still dreaming. He admired the effortless fall of Scorpius' blond hair and those introspective blue eyes. All those feelings from last night rushed back. The anxiety, the total captivation yet puzzlement.

Albus made a decision in his head that he would not act like a blundering idiot today. He had to live with the boy, he should at least be able to talk to him.

"Yeah a little, I always am really," Albus replied, trying to look casual by yawning.

He still felt like Scorpius could see through him so stopped, chewing his lip in regret, "You were already fast asleep when I got back last night," Scorpius stated.

"I-I really do sleep a lot," Albus found himself saying.

The blond chuckled, "There's no problem with that," Albus noticed Scorpius was already fully dressed and ready to go, "Albus, Geoffrey said you do Care of Magical Creatures too? Do you have a lesson this morning?"

Albus began to feel more at ease; Scorpius wasn't hard to talk to. He was different to Hogwarts students, that was for sure, but he wasn't as intimidating as Albus first thought, "Yeah, I do. First thing. Do you?"

"Yes, do you mind if I come with you?"

Albus nodded his head enthusiastically, "Of course you can. I need to get dressed and grab some breakfast but I'll meet you in the common room? Have you eaten?"

"Yes, I have."

"Alright, I'll be down in a few."

Scorpius looked puzzled, "A few?"

Albus suddenly became nervous again. Obviously he wouldn't understand phrases like that! He looked at Scorpius and spluttered out, "I m-mean a few minutes!"

"Oh... okay," Scorpius turned to the door and then looked back over his shoulder, "I will see you in... a few."

Albus couldn't help but notice how sultry Scorpius had sounded when he said a few. Was it just his French accent or did Scorpius mean to sound like that? Albus didn't know, but the words a few Scorpius' voice rang in Albus' head while he dressed.

Albus walked down the stairs into the corridor and immediately saw Scorpius, surrounded by a bunch of first year girls. Scorpius said something to them and they all giggled. Albus noticed Scorpius flashed that smile at them and Albus felt slightly disappointed that smile wasn't just for him. Scorpius was very good looking and there was no doubt most of the girls in the school would be gushing over him soon.

Scorpius saw Albus and re-diverted his smile to him, "Are you ready, Albus?"

Albus thought that he liked Scorpius saying his name even more than a few, "Yeah, let's go."

Albus and Scorpius walked side by side to the great hall, they didn't speak, but it was curiously comfortable. Albus didn't feel the need to talk jibber jabber. There was a mutual understanding in the air; no need to fill the silence with awkward conversation. Scorpius didn't make Albus feel like he needed to do anything he didn't want to.

They got a croissant each and left the great hall. Scorpius followed Albus with a confidence that made it seem as if he knew exactly where he was going.

"What other subjects are you taking for NEWTS?" Albus asked, genuinely wanting to know more about the boy.

"I am also doing Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of Magic and Alchemy. I also taking Art but as an extra subject," Scorpius said effortlessly.

"Wow... That's a lot. I'm doing Defense too. We might be in the same class..." When they stepped out onto the grounds, Scorpius pulled out a cigarette again.

"Am I allowed to smoke here?"

"I don't know," Albus said hesitantly.

Scorpius shrugged and lit the cigarette anyway, "Why are you taking Care of Magical Creatures?"

Albus' wall began to build back up to protect his secret passion for the subject, "Um, I always did well in it. It's always been my best subject."

Smoke slid from Scorpius' lips and Albus was in awe, he had to make sure his mouth wasn't hanging open, "They say you always do the best in the subject you love the most."

Albus nearly tripped on one of the stairs leading down to Hagrid's old hut, "No... I just did it because I thought I'll do well in it."

The Malfoy stopped and caught Albus' arm, just above the wrist, to stop him from walking at further. With the other hand, he continued to smoke like it was a sixth instinct. He studied Albus's face until he fixed his eyes with Albus'; blue meeting green. Albus reasserted that Scorpius had the ability to look into someone's soul.

"Why are you lying?" Scorpius said with the side of his lip slightly upturned.

And Albus was back to feeling like a nervous wreck. This boy was like no one Albus had ever met. He felt like all the walls and fronts which had grown all his life were crumbling down around him and it was all because of this boy.

"Everyone tells a white lie every once in a while. However, yours doesn't seem to be just a white lie to a stranger," Scorpius raised his eyebrows, trying to gage Albus, "Your lie is well-rehearsed."

Albus pulled his arm from Scorpius' grip and said a very unlike polite little Albus thing to say, "Well, even if I did have a secret, I wouldn't tell you."

That signature smirk returned, "I like you Albus Potter."

Scorpius swivelled around and carried on down the path. Albus gaped after the Malfoy.

When they arrived in class, Professor Lovegood greeted Scorpius in her typically over-friendly way: hugging him and speaking in that soft way of hers. Albus took a seat on one of the benches. The COMC classroom had been built after the war his father once told him. His father's friend, Rubeus Hagrid had decided to move to France and worked in Beaxbatons. Harry told him he had an old flame that worked there. The classroom was a commemoration to Hagrid, as a member of the Order of the Phoenix and participant in the war. Albus had met Hagrid countless times and loved the man. Albus thought he should ask Scorpius if he knew him then decided against it.

As if he had heard Albus' thoughts, Scorpius took a seat next to Albus on the bench. Albus tensed up and tried to lean away. He could see the blond's amused face out of the corner of his eye and sighed. This was going to be a long class.

"Welcome back everybody," Professor Lovegood said in her floaty voice, "It is so good to see you all again. We are going to be working for our NEWTS now! How exciting!" The woman managed to make everyone smile at any given time, "But our first lesson won't be as interesting. We have to do flobberworms," Nearly everyone groaned except Scorpius, "It's part of your qualification so I thought if we do it today and get it over with, we'll have the rest of the year to have fun! So grab a worm and get going, you know what to do! Keep them alive for an hour! Easy!"

As everyone went to the front of the class to get their worms, Professor Lovegood stood there brightly. Although flobberworms was a dull lesson, everybody respected the teacher greatly and knew it was necessary. Albus was just grateful it was nothing strenuous when he was so tired.

Albus sat down in the place he had been before and cursed when Scorpius sat next to him. He really was stuck with this mind-fuck wasn't he?

"She's a very nice woman. She's married to Rolf Scamander, no?" Scorpius asked.

Albus nodded, "Yeah, he works in that magic museum in London."

"Oh, the Wizarding History and Heritage Museum!"

"Yeah, I think it's that one."

"I like that place," Scorpius left a piece of lettuce for the worm. He knew as well as Albus that flobberworms could basically care for themselves and this was a truly pointless activity.

"I meant to ask... You're Draco Malfoy's son... Right?"

"Yes, I am."

"So... You're related to my God-brother, Teddy?" Albus was very close to Teddy Lupin. He wouldn't hesitate to call Teddy one of two of his best friends, the other one being Dominique, his cousin in James' year. Teddy and Albus had always had a connection he didn't have with any of his family. He truly looked up to Teddy. He always knew what advice to give him and made Albus feel like he was great on his merit. Teddy was a very relaxed person, but very naturally clever and he was now to a wandlore course in was good friends with James as well but said he had a soft spot for Albus.

Scorpius actually grinned, there was no mistaking his happiness at hearing Teddy's name, "Yes! I know Teddy very well. He has always visited us in France."

Albus had never heard Teddy mention Scorpius. He did tend to keep his interactions with the Malfoy family quiet because of the animosity between the two families. He would always tell the his father and the Weasleys that he was going to visit them, but never gave much more information. Perhaps his parents did know more about the Malfoys through Teddy, Albus had just never heard anymore than that.

"He's great isn't he?" Albus said.

"Yes he is. He is the closest to a brother I have," Scorpius replied fondly, "He speaks of you a lot."

"Really?" Albus was puzzled, "He never mentioned you," the Potter said it before he could realise that it might sound rude.

"My father prefers to keep our business quiet, that might be why."

The hour went extremely quickly as Albus and Scorpius chatted idly. If Albus was fascinated by the new student before the hour, he was in awe by the end. He couldn't figure out if it was Scorpius' appearance and mannerisms or personality and the things he was more saying more appealing. By the end of the lesson he realised it was definitely the latter. Scorpius was so sure of himself and spoke with such confidence. He was opinionated, but not excessive and he didn't push his opinions onto you. He didn't seem to care about what Albus thought of him, but was still attentive and listened to Albus' every word carefully. Albus was lost in Scorpius right until Professor Lovegood told the class that they were finished and had done a very good job.

As the class started to stand up Professor Lovegood addressed them all, "Before you all leave I would like to tell you all about an amazing opportunity that has been offered to you all! My husband has organised for the whole class to go the Romanian Dragon Reserve for three days during the Easter holidays! It's not compulsory, but it will be a fantastic trip!"

Albus beamed despite having been there many a time. Albus was always excited whenever he got to see dragons and now he couldn't wait until the Easter holidays.

He looked around and realised Scorpius was watching him, smiling yet again. Albus tried to calm his reaction but he didn't mind Scorpius seeing his excitement really.

"Oh, and you have to complete an essay on flobberworms by next Tuesday! You must talk about this lesson and what their uses are in herbology! Please come to me for help if you need it!"

When they were out of the class, Scorpius turned to Albus and asked, "What subject do you have now?"

"Potions," Albus told him, "And you?"

"History of Magic."

"Oh, that's on the way, I can show you where it is?"

"Yes, that would be good, thank you."

Scorpius did not hesitate to light up another cigarette in front of Albus.

Albus found himself saying, "Do you always smoke?"

Scorpius nodded, "Yes. It is a bad habit, but I won't stop. I like it too much."

"It's not good for you though."

"No, it isn't. But I still like it," Scorpius caught Albus' eye and Albus ducked his head, thinking he had said something wrong. But Scorpius' face softened, "Just... Live and let live."

As they wandered back up to the castle and carried on chatting, Albus dwelled on what Scorpius had said. Live and let live... What could that possibly mean to Albus?

-x-

 _Second chapter done! I loved writing this chapter so wanted to post it asap! Hope you all like it, please review to keep me sane!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

It had been a few weeks since the beginning of the school year and so far, it had been a good start for Albus. His lessons had been going well and he was actually quite enjoying NEWTS for now. He and his friends were happier than ever. Gryffindor had a good start to the Quidditch year. Everything was running smoothly.

But if Albus was honest, the most exciting moments so far had been his encounters with Scorpius Malfoy. Albus only really saw Scorpius during COMC and Defense and he always looked forward to them as Scorpius was now his partner in both. Scorpius didn't really spend much time in the dorm or in the Gryffindor commom room the Potter had quickly realised. He soon began to take notice of when Scorpius did return to their room and Albus would make sure he was there every few days (so it wasn't obvious what he was doing). When he was, Scorpius would always sit on Albus' bed, or invite Albus to sit on his, and they would read or chat about their days. They would joke around about their teachers or tease each other. Scorpius would tell him about Beaxbatons and his friends there and Albus would tell Scorpius about his family which he Scorpius actually seemed to be very interested in. Albus noticed that he had never been so open with a person before in his life.

However, Scorpius would always leave the room a few hours later, saying he was going for a walk and return just before curfew. Sometimes he would go to bed without saying goodnight, but the times he did, Albus would find himself falling asleep with Scorpius Malfoy in his mind.

Albus always looked out for Scorpius at lunch and dinner. Scorpius didn't really eat with a big group unlike Albus and his friends and family. In fact, he seemed to only to eat with one person. He always sat with a Ravenclaw student called Nicholas Sand, who Albus assumed was in the blond's History of Magic class or Alchemy class. He hadn't asked Scorpius about it. They would sometimes sit at the Gryffindor table, and other times they would sit with Ravenclaw. Albus didn't know much about Nicolas Sand, except that he was openly gay and quite good-looking (according to the girls). It made Albus wonder what Scorpius' sexual orientation was. Scorpius was undoubtedly handsome, and the girls all said he was nice to them but they said he wasn't really flirty. They all speculated whether or not Scorpius was seeing Sand and Albus found himself slightly jealous when overhearing these conversations.

It was a Tuesday night and Albus was alone in the dorm. He hadn't seen Scorpius all day; they didn't have any of the same classes and Albus had Quidditch practice straight after dinner. Albus was a chaser on the Gryffindor team. With his brother being the captain, he had to be on top of his game. Albus was a good chaser, but not as good as the only other Potter/Weasley on the team, seventh year Dominique. Dom was one of Albus' closest friends, probably the closest after Teddy. Dominique was a fierce personality. She was extremely different to her sister, Victoire who was the epitome of a girly girl. Dominique was the opposite. She was boisterous, she loved wrestling and beer but was still extremely beautiful like the rest of the Delacours. She was one of the most admired girls in the school, by girls and boys. She never seemed particularly interested in any attention she received from boys; all her focus was on Quidditch, it was her true passion.

Albus often liked to go for a walk around the grounds after Quidditch to clear his mind. Albus found Quidditch stressful. He liked the feeling of winning but the run up was not as fun. And having his perfect brother as the captain made things a lot worse too. James always expected Albus to be perfect. He didn't hesitate to belittle him in front of all their teammates. It seemed to be a common occurrence too. Albus always felt embarrassed but had to go along with it.

He admired the reflection of the descending sun on the lake. He smiled to himself; Hogwarts was truly a beautiful and peaceful place. He wondered why he didn't take more walks.

Albus snapped out his trance when he saw someone sitting on the slight hill near the lake. He recognised immediately the silvery hair and lean form. Scorpius. Albus felt butterflies in his stomach and raised his arm to wave at Scorpius, when he realised Scorpius was off in his own world, looking out over the lake.

The Potter felt like he was out of his own body, his feet were dragging him towards where Scorpius was sitting and anticipation grew in his heart.

Albus was a few steps away from Scorpius and the boy still hadn't noticed him, "Hi!" Albus said a little over-enthusiastically.

Scorpius looked up, wide eyed. When he saw Albus he flashed him that smile and replied, "Hi, Albus," in his smooth French accent.

"Can I sit?" The brunette asked hesitantly.

"Of course."

Albus sat next to the other boy, a few feet away but enough to see what Scorpius was doing. Scorpius was holding a sketchbook and pencil. He was drawing the lake and the castle and it was beautiful. The shading was incredibly detailed and captivating. Albus thought he was probably gaping at the picture like it was the Mona Lisa.

'I've been working on this one for about a week now," Scorpius said, feeling Albus' eyes on the book, "The more time you take on a sketch, the more you capture the true beauty of a place. You can't understand the attraction of a thing until you really take the time to study it."

Albus lifted his gaze to Scorpius' face, "You don't think you can understand the beauty of something on first... glance?"

Scorpius smiled softly, meeting Albus' eyes, "There are exceptions."

"You're very good."

"I love drawing. And painting. It is something... so innate..." Scorpius explained, "I need to paint or draw to keep me sane. The world around us is so... confusing and you need something to pull you back to yourself."

Albus found he really understood what Scorpius was saying to him. Being yourself wasn't always easy in this world, it made Albus wonder whether he was ever himself at all.

Scorpius continued to speak while sketching, "My favourite places in the world are the art class and my old studio where I used to live."

Albus was slightly shocked, he didn't think Scorpius' father would let him have a studio. He had always pictured Draco as quite conservative, "Wow, you really had your own studio?"

"My father is setting up a new studio in Malfoy manor..." Scorpius smirked suggestively, "You should come and see it some time."

Albus couldn't help but blush and looked at Scorpius through his lashes, "O-okay."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Scorpius continuing to draw, only looking up every once in the while. Albus watched intently as he worked on the trees and would look up to see if he could see what Scorpius was seeing. He couldn't.

Scorpius stopped drawing and lay his notebook down on the grass. Albus felt momentarily disappointed until Scorpius got out a cigarette and he was distracted from the desire to continue to watch Scorpius draw.

"So Albus... What's holding you back?" Scorpius asked casually.

Albus didn't understand, "What do you mean?"

"You're not yourself. Your true self. I can tell. You put up a barrier around others," Scorpius took a toke of his cigarette, "I don't know why you do it, but you shouldn't any longer. What is the reason?"

Albus was taken aback completely. He felt the wall begin to build itself back together, "I-I don't know. Maybe I am just a people pleaser. Maybe that's what I am."

Scorpius laughed, "That is something you become. And you cannot please other people all your life."

"You're right..." The Potter admitted, "But it's best for now."

"Do you not think people would like someone better if they were their true selves, confident in themselves? If you keep submitting to convention and to what you think you should be then you'll never know which persona is which..." Scorpius was trying to capture Albus' gaze but Albus avoided it as much as possible because he knew that way Scorpius would know what he was thinking, "You can't do it forever."

"You're the only person I have ever been so... open with. The only person in the world," Albus said quietly.

Scorpius flashed that smile and that made Albus look at Scorpius finally. Scorpius put his hand on Albus' leg and he had to restrain a gasp. That smile became a comforting one. Scorpius' fingers were long and warm and sent a shiver through Albus' core. The blond subtly squeezed Albus' knee.

"Well... I like you a lot Albus, so maybe being yourself is not a bad thing at all," Scorpius whispered.

Albus didn't even think when he said, "I really like you too."

Scorpius smiled and squeezed Albus' leg again. But he didn't take his hand away. He quietly finished his cigarette while what Albus thought was like analysing his face, body movements... Albus wasn't sure. But he strangely didn't feel nervous or uncomfortable. He truly quite liked it. He liked Scorpius looking at him and he liked being the only thing Scorpius was focussed on, even if it was just for a bit.

Soon, Scorpius began to draw again, though his hand did not leave Albus' leg. Albus was happy that Scorpius was still touching him, he suddenly became jealous that he was not the only thing on Scorpius' mind. Don't be so stupid! Albus thought. You're jealous of a fucking drawing!

"What does 'live and let live' mean?" Albus questioned, thinking back to what Scorpius said to him on those first few days he knew them.

Scorpius didn't look up but replied, "It's my life motto. It means that a person should live their life as they want to and let others live their lives their way too."

"I thought it was 'live and let die'?" Albus asked innocently.

Scorpius moved his hand and instead, held Albus' in his. Albus thought he stopped breathing in that moment, "That's for when everything goes wrong."


	4. Chapter 4

Albus and Scorpius continued to meet on the Hogwarts grounds, near the lake almost every day. It had been three weeks since the first time they had met there, and they increasingly enjoyed their time together. Sometimes Albus would be there first, sometimes Scorpius would. Scorpius would be sketching occasionally and Albus would read. It was comfortable. And they had fun. Scorpius became more tactile the more time they spent together. They would hold hands frequently, Scorpius would hug Albus before they went to bed and would still touch him affectionately. He would touch Albus' arm, shoulder, his legs. It was always friendly and probably innocent but Albus couldn't help but become more and more attracted to the blond.

Once again, the two boys were sitting on the grass, though this time they were just under a tree. They weren't doing anything else this time. Just chatting and enjoying each others company. Albus was very content with this current situation. He didn't think he could be any more relaxed than he was at that moment in time.

"I don't think my brother would be very happy that I'm hanging around with you," Albus said casually.

Scorpius laughed and shrugged his shoulders, "Probably not. But that doesn't matter, does it?"

"No..."

"Why does it matter what James thinks?"

Albus scoffed and chuckled, "I just said it didn't."

Scorpius shoved Albus lightly and gave him a look, "Don't lie to me, Albus Severus."

Albus couldn't help but think about how sexy his name sounded when Scorpius said it. He blushed at the thought and then decided on a whim to actually tell Scorpius the truth.

"I look up to James a lot. He's... my big brother. And everyone loves him. So I want to be more like him."

Scorpius reached out and grabbed Albus' hand. He held the brunette's hand in his and traced Albus' palm with his thumb. If Albus wasn't already flustered, he was now.

"Tell me a secret."

Albus was disconcerted by this statement. What could Scorpius possibly mean?

"Tell me a secret that you've never told anybody before," Scorpius said as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

Albus took a moment to think before something came to mind, "I don't really like Quidditch very much."

"Well I could've told you that," Scorpius chuckled, squeezing Albus' hand before carrying on with caressing Albus' skin.

"How do you know that?" Albus grinned.

"I saw you in practice a week ago and you looked like you wanted to throw yourself off your broom."

"Are you stalking me Scorpius?" Albus teased, pursed lips.

"You would know if I was stalking you Albus Severus," They both descended into laughter, but Scorpius wouldn't stop pushing the subject, "Anyway. Why are you on the Quidditch team if you do not like it?"

Albus suddenly became sheepish, "I don't know... Most of my family played Quidditch... My dad did. My mum was a professional Quidditch player most of her life... James is the captain as well."

"Who do you want to be more like, your father or your brother?"

Albus felt tears spring to his eyes and he wondered why Scorpius' words affected him so much. Scorpius comforted Albus by placing his other hand on Albus' shoulder. How did Scorpius see through so easily? It was like Scorpius knew him better than anybody else and he had only known him for just about two months. It was overwhelming and Albus didn't know what Scorpius was trying to achieve anymore.

"How do you know all of this...? I don't understand how you always see through me like this... Are you like a mind reader?"

Scorpius smiled softly, "Unfortunately not. I am just a good observer. Tell me."

"I... I've always been told I look like my father and that I have his heart. I've just always felt I need to live up to his reputation. And James... Well everyone loves James. I just... always thought I should be like him. They're both amazing."

"I'm sure they are. But so are you," Scorpius' arm slid around Albus' neck and he pulled Albus into his chest, "You're amazing Albus. As yourself. And you don't need to try to be anyone else. You're perfect as you."

Albus mulled over Scorpius' words without end in bed that night. You're perfect as you. He had never had anybody tell him he was perfect before. He never thought he would ever hear someone describe him as perfect either. His heart fluttered. Scorpius was the one who was perfect. He made Albus feel like he was the only person on the entire planet who mattered when he was with him. Albus craved his company.

When Albus finally fell asleep he dreamt of Scorpius Malfoy. He dreamt of his encouraging and knowing words in that beautiful, soft voice. He dreamt of Scorpius' soothing touches. He dreamt of Scorpius taking him in his arms and holding him close. Scorpius would smooth a hand over his cheek and stroke him like he had stroked his hand earlier that day. Scorpius would pull him close and whisper you're perfect before claiming Albus' lips as his.

When the Potter woke up that morning he swore under his breath. Not only had he fallen asleep thinking of Scorpius, he had dreamt of him all night and now woken up to the thought of the blond boy too. Albus lifted his head slightly and saw Scorpius still sleeping. He looked like a god even now.

Albus worried that he was actually beginning to fall for Scorpius Malfoy.

Albus knew he had to speak to someone. There was only one obvious choice. Teddy. Teddy Lupin knew both Albus and Scorpius well so he thought Teddy would be the best person to help shed insight on the situation Albus had found himself in.

He arranged to meet Teddy at Hogsmeade that weekend at the Shrieking Shack. He knew Teddy was back for a few week, his father told him he was staying with him. He knew Teddy liked going to the Shrieking Shack. It reminded him of his father. He felt discouraged because Scorpius had actually asked if Albus would show him around Hogsmeade. He had to tell him that he already had plans.

Albus was nervous while waiting for Teddy. It was quite cold anyway, being November and everything. Albus couldn't tell whether he was shivering or shaking.

He thought about Scorpius. What if Scorpius found out about this conversation he was about to have with Teddy? Teddy might tell him about Scorpius' many girlfriends in France and that he was definitely straight... But wait, Albus didn't even know if he was gay himself! He had never been attracted to a boy before. He always admired girls but had only ever kissed a few. He slept with an Italian girl on holiday last summer but it had been very awkward. It was good, but felt forced. It was James that had encouraged him to do it but he felt too young for it for some reason. He didn't want to do anything with another girl until it felt right. But could it feel right with a boy? That was something completely different and something Albus had never considered before.

Albus jumped when he felt two hands grab his shoulders. A gasp slipped from his lips and he instinctively pulled out of the grip. He turned around violently when he realised it was Teddy.

The Potter laughed and dipped his head in relief. Teddy joined him in the laughter and pulled Albus into a hug.

"Albie! Why so tense?" Teddy asked ruffling the younger boy's hair.

Albus raised his eyebrows, "Well when someone sneaks up on you from behind... it kinda can't be helped."

Teddy chuckled and threw an arm around Albus' shoulder, "Oh I missed you."

They chatted briefly about the beginning of the school year and Teddy's job. Teddy told Albus that he had met a girl called Serena who was on his wandlore course and he really liked her. Teddy had dated Victoire about a year back briefly. Victoire was very in love with Teddy and had been for a long time. Teddy had given it a go but he didn't reciprocate her love. He ended it and she was devastated.

Teddy was looking out at the Shrieking Shack when they sat down on a bench. Albus decided to let Teddy think for a little.

A few moments later Teddy smiled and turned to Albus, "So, what's wrong Albie?"

"I have to talk to you about something..." Albus managed to say, "It's a little bit hard... and you can't tell anyone."

"Of course I won't. Are you okay?"

"N-no I'm fine... Just a bit confused," Albus sighed, "You know Scorpius came to Hogwarts?"

Teddy nodded, "Yeah. You've met him?"

"He's in the same dorm as me."

"Oh yeah? Draco told me he was put in Gryffindor. What... do you not like him or something?"

"No... I do like him. That's the problem actually..." Teddy stared at Albus while Albus struggled to get his words out. He looked the Lupin in the eye and reminded himself that that this was his best friend, Teddy, who had been there for him all his life. He would surely be here for him now as well, "I think I have a crush on Scorpius."

Teddy looked a bit taken aback, "Oh..." Albus panicked a little bit inside until Teddy finally smiled, "I wasn't expecting that. So... you're gay?"

"I don't know... I've never really thought about a guy like that before I met him."

"Okay," Teddy stroked his turquoise hair out of his face and tilted his head, "Tell me what's happened from the beginning."

"We started to hang out together... and Scorpius is just amazing. I love being around him... I feel myself when I'm with him. And I've never felt like that so quickly around someone before. It's like he understands me... and I think he's gorgeous," Albus started to babble, spilling his heart out to his god-brother, "And sexy and I've never wanted someone to touch me, or to be touched so badly... He's just so, I don't know, alluring..."

"He does have a presence..." Teddy admitted, "Well do you know if he feels the same way?"

"I don't know... He's very touchy and he says he likes me but I don't know if it's just a friendship way. I thought you might be able to... shed some light. You know him better than I do."

"Well, Scorpius doesn't really swing any way in particular..." Teddy smirked.

Albus gaped at him, "What does that mean?"

"Albie... Scorpius is an artist. He sees the beauty in everything, he kind of believes that there's not one right thing to like or dislike," Albus still didn't understand so Teddy decided to be more clear, "He doesn't have a gender preference."

"Oh..." Albus didn't know whether this was supposed to be a good or a bad thing. Scorpius could potentially see him that way. But he also likes girls. If Albus was honest he was thoroughly confused.

"He's dated both boys and girls in the past. Never been serious with any of them."

Teddy placed a hand on Albus' sensing the boy's tension. Teddy understood how confused Albus must be. Scorpius was a... complicated person. He was worried about Albus getting hurt. He was a sensitive soul and Scorpius lived his life without a care and sometimes could hurt other people along the way. Albus seemed to be infatuated with Scorpius but Teddy had no way knowing what Albus meant to Scorpius. He didn't want to give Albus false hope.

"Just be careful though Al... Scorpius has a way of living that can sometimes hurt other people. He's not always very considerate of others."

Albus looked extremely defeated. He thought Scorpius was caring and was attentive towards him, was Scorpius not what he seemed? Was it all an act?

"Don't get me wrong, he's fiercely loyal and loving when he cares about someone. I'm not saying he couldn't be like that for you. He never lies though. If he said he likes you then that's doubtlessly true."

"So... what should I do?"

Teddy held Albus' shoulder and gave him a soft smile, "Take things as it comes. Don't rush into it. Keep hanging out with him. But if you do get into anything... just make sure you're both on the same page."

"Okay..." Albus welcomed the supportive hug from his friend. He knew Teddy was trying to help, but his head was even more muddled than it had been before. He thought he knew Scorpius but perhaps he didn't.

"Everything will be okay, Albus. And if he does ever do anything to you, I'll kick his little ass."

Albus laughed for Teddy's sake, "Thanks Teddy."

When Albus walked back to Hogsmeade with Teddy, he couldn't help but think what he had gotten himself into. Teddy was moaning about Victoire and her berating whenever they saw each other. But Albus was off in his own little world, his mind absorbed with Scorpius. What did Scorpius think of him? Did he care about him at all? He said he liked him, but Albus wasn't sure now.

They arrived in the village and Teddy walked Albus to the carriages. He changed his appearance because Victoire didn't know he was in England and if one of the family saw him it was bound to get back to her. It benefitted to be a metamorphmagus.

"Alright Albie, I better go. Write to me if you need anything, yeah?" Teddy hugged him one more time.

"Yeah I will," Albus said, "Thank you, Ted."

Albus got on one of the carriages and Teddy waited for him to leave before waving and walking away. It was only then that Albus noticed Scorpius on the carriage ahead of him. And he was with Nicholas Sand. Scorpius stared at him, his face emotionless. The Potter turned his head so it seemed he was watching what he was passing and hadn't noticed Scorpius.

Jealousy rushed over Albus and he tried to repress it. Every word Teddy had spoken played over in his head. Scorpius lived in his own little world and he wasn't sure whether he liked or cared for Albus to be a part of it. He was with Nicholas now as well. The only comfort was that Scorpius must have asked Nicholas as a second resort. Nevertheless, he was still internally annoyed.

Albus sighed and rested his cheek on his hand. _Really, what are you getting yourself into Albus._

 _-x-_

 _I really enjoyed including Teddy in this chapter and hope to explore him more! Albus and Scorpius' interactions were fun to write this chapter, as they know each other a bit better at this point!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

Albus didn't realise how difficult a task it would be to stay away from Scorpius Malfoy. He knew he had to see Scorpius during class and sometimes in his dorm but he didn't think it would be so difficult to actually resist seeing him. He didn't understand why he craved Scorpius' company so much, he had never wanted to be with someone as much as possible. Teddy's advice did hit Albus hard but it didn't stop him from wandering the grounds every few days and sitting with Scorpius for hours on end.

Scorpius had pursued being around Albus also. Albus had a free period which Scorpius knew about and went to the library. Scorpius turned up after History of Magic was cancelled and they had stayed there all of lunch also. Scorpius openly told Albus that he was looking for him, Teddy was right when he said Scorpius doesn't lie. Albus just wondered why he had even came looking for him in the first place. He speculated that Scorpius might feel the same way, but kept dismissing this as an impossibility.

The Friday after the Hogsmeade visit, Albus and Scorpius sat near the lake under a tree yet a again. They were wrapped up warm with coats their scarves and hats and big jumpers, the winter air had began to nip but it wasn't even a prospect to find somewhere else to go inside the castle. It was like this was their place now. It was dark already but the boys had a lumos spell on their wands.

Scorpius was drawing yet again and Albus was reading a book about dragons. He hadn't told Scorpius about his love of dragons but he felt comfortable enough around Scorpius to read with the possibility of Scorpius asking about it. He took a glance at Scorpius every once in a while and would be caught in the act. Scorpius would chuckle and go back to drawing.

Albus spaced out and stared up at the night sky. He studied the stars and couldn't help but wonder which one Scorpius was named after. His eyes were drawn to the brightest star and he smiled; he liked to think it would be that one.

"I'm bored of drawing the castle," Scorpius said suddenly. He set his sketchbook down and pulled out a cigarette from the already open packet.

Albus shrugged and grinned, "Draw something else. What else do you like to... find beauty in?"

Scorpius laughed, "People."

"Draw a person then."

Scorpius blew a stream of smoke out of his lips, "I can draw you."

The Potter gaped at Scorpius like he was a mad man, "No way... Nope."

"Why not?" Scorpius said, amused.

"I just... don't feel comfortable with that."

"Please Albus!" Scorpius shifted forward, "Help your dear friend!"

"No Scorpius! Why would you want to draw me anyway?"

"Because you're beautiful, Albus," Scorpius whispered in that velvet voice, "And I like to draw beautiful things. So I would like to draw you."

Albus' head was spinning and heart thumping. Hearing Scorpius compliment him so made him feel like the most special person in the world. He found himself saying okay without thinking. He watched Scorpius smile and put out his cigarette. He opened to a new page in the sketchbook and stared at Albus, that smile adorning his face.

Albus didn't know where to look until Scorpius told him to be natural and continue to read. Minutes went by in silence and Albus' heart did not cease to race. He kept thinking about how Scorpius had described him and wondered how it was possible for someone like Scorpius to call him that. Scorpius was the most stunning being he had ever seen.

"Who was that boy you were with in Hogsmeade last week?" Scorpius asked suddenly.

Albus was confused for a moment because he was only with Teddy. Oh, Teddy's disguise! "That was Teddy. He was trying to keep people from knowing it was him because not everyone knows he's in England."

"Oh... Just Teddy," Scorpius gave a wide smile, "I was a little bit jealous."

Albus felt his ears heating up and now his heart was wild. Did Scorpius really just say what he thought he said? He was jealous? Satisfaction stirred in Albus' belly and he knew his cheeks were probably red, "Why were you jealous?"

Scorpius continued to focus on his sketch, and said casually, "Because I thought you already had a boyfriend and I like you a lot."

Albus felt himself crumble into himself. He thought he was going to explode. Was Scorpius actually saying this? Was this a dream? He couldn't believe Scorpius would ever feel that way for him. He was overwhelmingly happy but in the back of his mind he still remembered what Teddy told him. The blond was now staring at Albus rather than at his sketchbook. And Albus stared back.

Albus' rushed train of thought was interrupted when a laugh rang through his head. He snapped out of his trance and realised it was Scorpius was laughing at him. For a moment he thought this was all a sick joke and felt absolutely defeated.

"I think I have scared you off, Albus," Scorpius chuckled.

Albus felt a sense of relief and joined Scorpius in his laughter and found himself saying, "I don't scare that easily."

Scorpius promptly shoved his book to the side. He flashed Albus that smile and he thought he was going to melt. Scorpius shuffled towards Albus until he was sitting in front of the brunette. He placed a hand on Albus' thigh and Albus knew he was blushing. Don't mess this up! Albus told himself. He wanted this, more than he had ever wanted anything in his life.

Scorpius' face was only a breath away from Albus'. Albus started to calm down when he looked into Scorpius' eyes. Scorpius was trying to reassure him, he could tell. But Albus knew what he wanted. Any doubts he had drifted from his mind.

"Are you scared now?" Scorpius smirked.

Albus quirked his lips flirtatiously, "Probably fifty-fifty."

Confusion plastered Scorpius' face, "What does that mean?"

Albus couldn't help but lean forward on calfs so he was slightly higher than the other boy. His breath mixed with Scorpius' as he neared his lips. Albus closed his eyes as he felt their lips touch in the softest embrace. He felt like flames were engulfing him. He had never felt this way before, not when he kissed any girl, not when he had sex that once. This felt better and more exciting than all of those things combined.

He backed away an inch to see Scorpius' reaction. The Malfoy simply smiled crookedly before pulling Albus forward by the scarf and crushing their lips together. Albus couldn't restrain a moan; Scorpius kissed with an attentiveness typical of him. His lips were a contradiction, soft but firm. He took control of the kiss and Albus didn't mind at all. Scorpius' hand slid to the nape of Albus' neck and Albus couldn't resist running his fingers through that golden hair, pulling off Scorpius' hat in the process.

Scorpius began to move closer their lips danced together more passionately. Scorpius' chest touched Albus' and suddenly their teeth clashed painfully. They pulled away and laughed soundlessly. They both mutually shifted their positions until Albus was seated on Scorpius' legs. Scorpius caught Albus' eyes for a second and Albus thought his heart was going to melt. Scorpius placed hands on both of the Potter's cheeks and dragged him in to meet his lips again. Albus' hat had fallen off in the midst of it and he didn't care. He felt like they were on fire.

At some point Scorpius had parted Albus' lips and Scorpius' tongue began to explore Albus' mouth. Albus thought Scorpius knew sensitive spots Albus didn't even know he had. Albus found another groan ripple from his chest and Scorpius responded by sliding his hands to Albus' hips and stroking Albus' back above his belt.

Albus didn't know how long they stayed like this. Albus was completely lost in Scorpius and didn't want this to ever end. But Scorpius broke their kiss and rested his forehead on Albus'.

"Well Albus Severus... I didn't know you had it in you."

"I didn't either."

Scorpius laughed and pecked Albus' lips one more time. He returned his hands back to Albus' neck, caressing his skin with his thumb. Albus sighed and leaned into the touch.

"I hope you don't think I'm being too forward... but can I ask... what this is, um, to you?" Albus whispered. He began to think of what Teddy had to said to him. He didn't want to put himself in a place of vulnerability. He didn't know what this was to Scorpius, whether he just wanted a shag or a fling or what. But Albus knew he was already in far too deep to be able to cope with anything like that. It would be better to get out now if that's what Scorpius wanted.

"Well, I want to be yours and I hope you will be mine too," Scorpius tried to kiss him again but Albus put a finger on his lip. Scorpius looked hurt and backed away.

"I just... I don't understand..."

"Albus," Scorpius cupped the back of Albus' head and made sure he couldn't look away from him, "I like you a lot. You are very special, I haven't met anyone like you before. I do not think you realise how special you are and I hope to make you realise that. You have a good heart, you're funny, interesting and overwhelmingly humble. Why wouldn't I like you?"

"I don't know, it's just you're so... amazing! You're brilliant and talented and gorgeous and could get anyone you want and I just... don't believe you could want me."

Scorpius brushed his hand in Albus' shaggy hair, "Well begin to believe it, Albus Potter. Because I do. You are the best thing that has happened to me in a long time and I do not intend to lose you."

Albus couldn't resist a smile. His insides were a mess and he felt extremely pathetic that he was like this. Scorpius claimed another kiss and Albus gave in. He knew what Teddy had said before but Albus knew he had to take Scorpius as he was. Scorpius never lied Teddy said, so Albus believed him. After that kiss, he wouldn't be able to stay away from Scorpius anyway.

The boys stayed near the tree until late that evening. They chatted in between extensive kissing. Scorpius made Albus lie on his chest and he found it was his new favourite place to be. Scorpius told him stories about Beauxbatons and his life before Hogwarts. Albus was soothed by the sound of Scorpius' voice and knew he could listen to him forever.

They realised it was far past curfew and decided to head back. Scorpius held his hand as they snuck back. At one point, Scorpius said he had spotted a prefect and pressed Albus up against the wall. They waited for a minute when Scorpius kissed the life out of him.

"Was there really a prefect there?"

Scorpius smirked and ran a hand down Albus' back, "No, I just couldn't stop myself."

They laughed quietly and continued back to the common room. However, when they neared the common room, someone called after them. Realising it was actually was a prefect, Scorpius turned around and abruptly told Albus to run. They sprinted up the stairs, still clutching each other's hands. They laughed as they went and the prefect still yelled at them but Scorpius was quick and they entered the common room with no problem.

Thankfully, there was no one around and they made it up to the dorm without being noticed. The two boys stood outside their door, still laughing. Scorpius grinned at Albus and pulled him in for yet another kiss.

"Okay, I don't want to, but we should sleep," Scorpius' lips lingered on Albus' forehead as the other boy breathed heavily.

"Alright... Good night, Scorpius."

"Good night, Albus."

Albus and Scorpius went to their separate beds. Albus hugged his pillow in bed, wishing it was Scorpius he was holding again. Albus didn't think he had ever been this happy. He didn't know what was going to happen with them, but he loved Scorpius' company and Scorpius did make him feel special. That was enough for now.

Albus had began to drift to sleep when he felt a dip in his mattress. His head shot up and he was on full alert. It was pitch black and his heart jumped in his throat.

"It's just me," Albus heard Scorpius' voice say and he breathed out in relief. Scorpius crawled into the bed next to him and Albus suddenly became very aware that he had a bare chest and only wearing pyjama bottoms. A hand crept over Albus' hip and Scorpius' chest was pressed against his back, and he was also very shirtless. He heard Scorpius lower the curtains and Albus became agitated. Was Scorpius going to try it on with him? He knew he wanted to feel Scorpius and probably did want to be sexual with the blond eventually but he didn't think he was ready right now.

But Scorpius only kissed the back of Albus' head, buried his nose into his hair, and said good night once more. He hugged Albus from behind but it was innocent and loving. Albus didn't think he could feel any happier than he already was, he didn't he could smile anymore but Scorpius had proved him wrong.

They fell asleep, peaceful in their embrace.

-x-

 _I normally don't have characters get together so early in my stories but I wanted to explore their relationship! I'm happy with this chapter! Please review!_

 _p.s. Dominique is coming next chapter!_


	6. Chapter 6

Albus and Scorpius woke up late on Saturday morning. Albus thought it was the best thing in the world waking up next to Scorpius Malfoy. They spent the majority of the morning in Albus' bed, kissing and talking. Scorpius told Albus he was in heaven and never wanted to leave. Scorpius' words were mesmerising to him. He knew how to charm. At the back of his mind, he still worried if it was a facade. Scorpius knew him far too well, that was obvious but there was still a lot Albus didn't know about Scorpius. He knew everything important about him but for some reason he thought Scorpius was still holding something back.

They eventually decided to get out of bed because Albus was hungry. They had missed breakfast by then so got dressed and went straight down to the great hall. They didn't hold hands or anything, they hadn't had a talk about whether they were going to tell anybody. If Albus was honest, he didn't want to tell anybody at this point. This was a big thing for Albus, and he didn't want it ruined by the opinions of his family or friends. For now, just being seen together as friends was enough of a step for Albus.

"You like to eat, don't you?" Scorpius grinned at him from across the table.

"Who doesn't?" Albus said before taking a mouthful of his sandwich.

"Well yes everyone does, just not as much as you."

Albus laughed, "I can't deny that."

"So, I think we need to have a serious chat."

Albus looked up, confused, "About what?

"Us."

Albus was about to answer when he felt someone shaking his shoulder. His head snapped around and he was greeted by the sight of his older brother. James didn't look pleased and Albus couldn't even think what he could possibly be annoyed at.

"Can I talk to you, Albus? Alone," James suddenly glared at Scorpius. Scorpius, being his usual self rolled his eyes and continued eating.

"Yeah sure," Albus said hesitantly, looking at Scorpius.

"I'm going to the library, Albus. I'll see you there," Scorpius said, standing up and giving a good of a glare at James as he gave. Albus wanted to laugh but restrained himself.

Albus watched Scorpius walk off and felt annoyed at James for not only scaring Scorpius away but interrupting them just as they were about to have an important conversation. James sat on the bench next to him and Albus just carried on eating in a strop.

"Do you mind telling me where you were last night?"

Albus' eyes widened, initially thinking his brother might have seen him and Scorpius. But it occurred to Albus what James was really talking about and breathed a sigh of relief inside, "I'm so sorry. I completely forgot about practice."

"I had to get Hugo in for you, he's like an over-excited five year old on his broom, flying for the first time. You're the best chaser, I need you at practice."

"I'm sorry, James. I just don't care about Quidditch as much as you."

James shoved Albus' shoulder lightly, "Since when?"

The younger brother snapped, "I never have! You just never asked!"

"What is with you at the moment?" James asked, "I've hardly seen you, except for practice. Your friends say you just disappear! And I do know why! You're hanging around with Scorpius Malfoy all the time! Edward saw you last night getting back late!"

"That's none of your business. And anyway, you don't know anything about Scorpius at all, James, don't talk shit."

"I know enough. He's rude and obnoxious to everyone. He doesn't seem to try with anybody in his own house. I don't want you hanging around with someone like that."

"Well funnily enough, you can't tell me what to do."

Albus stood up abruptly, leaving his food unattended. He stormed off, down the great hall, leaving James calling after him.

Albus went straight to the library, fuming inside. All he wanted to do was see Scorpius and maybe vent a little. Scorpius was the only one who would understand.

He found Scorpius in a corner of the library, near a window. It was quiet and Scorpius was staring out of the window. Albus smiled when he saw the other boy; he already felt calmer in the presence of the Malfoy.

Albus stepped as quietly as possible towards the blond, aiming to surprise the boy. His heart pumped in anticipation. When he was an inch away from the boy, Scorpius suddenly turned and grabbed Albus' hips. Albus giggled and fell towards Scorpius, making Scorpius laugh also. Albus' arms wrapped around Scorpius' neck automatically. Scorpius looked up at Albus with a smile and Albus instantly leaned down to kiss the other boy.

"I'm happy you weren't gone for too long, Albus Severus," Scorpius said against Albus' lips.

"Me too," Albus pulled himself away from the Malfoy and sat in the chair next to him, their legs still touching.

"James is very pleasant towards me, I have to say," Albus smiled apologetically in response, "What did he want from you?"

"I missed Quidditch last night, he was mad at me."

"Why don't you just quit?"

"If he was mad at me for missing one practice, imagine what he would do if I quit the team."

Scorpius became quiet as if he was thinking. He knew Scorpius thought he should stop doing Quidditch if he didn't like it. And maybe he would eventually, but Albus was still learning and needed to take his time with adjusting to this outlook on life.

"He... thinks you're rude," Albus admitted.

Scorpius' expression turned into a scowl, "Does it matter to you what he thinks of me?"

Albus' nerves began to take hold of him, "No... I just want them to... understand you."

"I do not mean to be rude, I just like solitude. I like being alone and spending time with the people I care about and I'm sorry if I come across rude, but you know I don't particular care about what anyone else thinks."

Albus reached across table and held Scorpius' hand, "I know, I'm sorry for bringing it up. I just... I don't want him to be saying that about you."

The blond squeezed Albus' hand, "I know. Just understand, that James can say whatever he wants and it won't affect me. I just care about you. I worry that it affects you..."

Albus smiled and pecked Scorpius' lips, "It doesn't anymore. I promise."

"Is there anything else you want to ask me?"

Albus chewed his lip, "I was wondering... at Hogsmeade, were you on a date with Nicholas?"

Scorpius laughed and shook his head, "Definitely not. Were you jealous, Albus?"

"N-no!" Scorpius flashed him that smile and Albus sighed, "Okay, a little."

"Well you have nothing to worry about. Nicholas is just a friend. I have eyes for only one person," This time Scorpius was the one to kiss Albus. He peeled himself from the other boy and rested his elbow on the table, "So... about that chat-"

"Albus!"

The boys heads snapped up and round and Albus saw Dominique standing there, panting heavily, her strawberry blond hair wilder than ever. Albus groaned internally.

"There you are, I need to talk to you," Dominique threw her bag down on the table dramatically, "Hi, Scorpius."

Scorpius waved warily, looking annoyed.

"Everybody seems to be looking for me today," Albus said sarcastically to Scorpius.

Dominique ignored what Albus said and grabbed his arm, "I need your help. I'm having a crisis. I'm literally shitting my pants."

"You can sit in that chair over there then," Scorpius smirked pointing at the chair at the opposite side of the table.

"Haha very funny, Scorpius. Did you not hear me? I don't need your stupid comments right now!"

"Sorry, I'll be merely an observer."

"Albus, I don't know what to do," Dominique spoke with panic, "You know Lysander?"

"Yes, I've know Lysander all my life, Dom."

"Lysander... He told me he likes me... and wants to take me on a date."

Albus was actually surprised by this; Lysander and Dominique were best friends so he had never expected anything more than that. Lysander was the quiet, serious type and Dom was the absolute opposite. But maybe that's why they made sense, "And you don't like him?"

"Of course I like him, he's my best friend," Dominique said like it was obvious.

"No, I mean do you like him in that way?"

No! I mean, I don't know... I've never thought about it!" The Weasley threw her face in her hands.

"I think you might need to look into yourself a bit more, be honest with yourself," Scorpius said with a shrug of his shoulders, flicking through one of his text books.

"No offence, Scorpius, but I've known you for two months, your advice is not very important to me," She said snappily.

"The fact you're so defensive would make me guess you do like him."

Dominique simply held up her middle finger at Scorpius in response. The two boys laughed. They both knew Dominique actually got on very well with Scorpius and they were often playfully rude to each other. The librarian came from around the corner and told them to be quiet and they giggled quietly instead.

"You're not taking me seriously! Stop laughing at me!" Dominique whispered harshly.

"Okay, okay. Tell me why you wouldn't want to be with Lysander. Give me one reason," Albus said.

"I don't know... Well Quidditch is everything to me and I don't want to be distracted from that. I think... having a relationship would mess that up."

"So... you can see yourself having a relationship with him?"

I didn't say that!"

"You're the who mentioned a relationship..."

"Oh shut up, Albus. You're no help," Dominique stood up to leave and Albus couldn't help but laugh again. He surged up and hugged Dominique.

"Aw, Dom has a crush on Lysander! She's gonna have a boyfriend!" Albus squeezed her tight and he heard Scorpius chuckling along.

Dominique was far too strong though and pushed Albus off with a growl. She lightly slapped Albus over the head before She grabbing her bag and storming off without looking back.

The boys found themselves in a fit of laughter. Needless to say, they were told off again.

That evening, Albus and Scorpius were lying in Albus' bed again. Scorpius kissed Albus and whispered sweet nothings in his ear. Albus felt lost in Scorpius. When he was with Scorpius, nothing else mattered more than the other boy.

After kissing for Merlin knows how long, Scorpius nestled his nose in Albus' neck. The Potter could feel Scorpius' breath against his skin and he couldn't help but shiver.

"Now we are alone... we can finally have that talk," Scorpius whispered.

"Okay... What do you want to talk about?"

"Are we going to keep this a secret?"

Albus paled. He knew he had to be honest with Scorpius but he was worried he would hurt the boy he had grown to care about so much. Albus reached up to stroke Scorpius' hair, "I don't want you to think that this is anything to do with you... But I would like to keep it quiet for a little while. Only because I know my whole family will interfere... and I'm having a good time with you... the best time actually. I don't want anyone to ruin that."

Scorpius lifted his head and smiled, "I can understand that. We will keep it quiet if that is what you want. I am happy just being with you."

"What do you want though?"

"Well, if I could I would shout off the rooftop that I'm with Albus Potter!"

Albus laughed briefly, "But isn't that against your own rule? You know about being honest and open and stuff..."

"Sometimes when it's to protect someone you care about, it's necessary," Scorpius went back to snuggling Albus' shoulder.

Albus couldn't help but smile. He cupped Scorpius' cheek with his hand, drawing Scorpius' attention. Albus placed a lingering kiss on Scorpius' lips. Albus thought that this was the first time he had ever seen Scorpius blush.

"Did you say... you're with me before?"

Scorpius' lips quirked and he looked down, embarrassed, "I would hope..."

Albus placed his lips on the blond's forehead, "I would like that very much."

Scorpius grinned wider than Albus had ever seen him smile before. Scorpius surged up and kissed Albus passionately wrapping his arms around Albus' neck.

Albus didn't think he had ever been happier.

-x-

 _So excited to introduce Dominique in this chapter! I think she's going to be a good character! As always_ , _reviews are much appreciated! Thank you everyone who has already reviewed!_


	7. Chapter 7

Christmas came around far quicker than Albus ever expected. He and Scorpius had spent pretty much every spare moment together. Albus had to admit he had neglected his friends a bit. They always asked him where he was and he told them he was studying when truly he would be outside on the grounds with Scorpius. He felt bad for lying, but he was enjoying himself with Scorpius and he needed this right now. Scorpius has taught him to actually say no for once to people and do what he wanted.

Keeping their relationship secret had been difficult but was a good thing they both agreed. Albus was still exploring his new found sexuality and he had to adjust to it. Scorpius has experienced more and more how involved and nosy Albus' family members were with each other. Albus didn't need that at this time.

Albus and Scorpius were lying in bed, making plans to meet up over Christmas. It was the night before they were going home and everybody else was in the common room saying their goodbyes. Albus knew he was going to miss spending so much time with his boyfriend. They had become attached at the hip and it would be strange to be apart. Albus was worried Scorpius had become the only person he was truly comfortable with now, to say and do what he wants with. He was worried he would feel like an outsider in his own family.

"I think I might tell my parents about us," Albus said suddenly.

Scorpius was resting his head on Albus' shoulder while rubbing circles on Albus' hip. He looked up at the other boy, "Okay, that's a good thing."

"I'm nervous," Albus whispered, "But I think I need to do it."

"It's a big step," Scorpius agreed.

"I just... don't know what they'll say and think."

"From what I've heard about your parents I think they'll be okay with it. They're accepting people and they love you. That won't change."

"You're right."

Scorpius kissed Albus' forehead and returned to his position on Albus' shoulder. Albus played with Scorpius' hair like he loved to do.

"I am going to miss you," Scorpius said, "I don't want to go home."

"I'm going to miss you too. You'll get to be with your family though. That's a good thing."

Scorpius nodded quietly but didn't say anything in return.

The next day, Albus and Scorpius decided to sit separately on the train. He thought he should spend some time with his friends before going home. They had given up on asking Albus questions about who he was and he just enjoyed his time with them and vice versa. Albus thought Geoffrey suspected there was something going on. Other than Teddy and Dominique, Geoffrey was Albus' closest friend and he had also become quite good friends with Scorpius too. Albus knew Geoffrey well enough to predict that if he did guess what was going on, he would come to them first.

Towards the end of their journey, Albus began to drift in and out of sleep, thinking of Scorpius. He wondered why Scorpius wasn't looking forward to going home. No matter how much they would miss each other, of course it would be good to see their families. Albus knew Scorpius was close to his parents too. His father, Draco Malfoy was extremely accepting of Scorpius and his liberal view of life. Scorpius told him that his father always said he wanted to give his son freedom to be who he is and wants to be. He says he was deprived of that in his childhood and wished he had it and didn't want to stop his son from having that. He encouraged Scorpius' passions and lifestyle. They were very close. When Scorpius spoke of his mother, she always came across as the most caring and loving person you could get. Perhaps overly attentive over her son, but justly so as he was an only child. They had a nice family and Albus knew Scorpius should be happy about going home.

Albus stepped off the train with his suitcase. He looked up and down the platform until he spotted a head of red hair and saw his sister heading towards his parents. Lily was in her second year now, the age gap was much bigger between her and Albus than him and James. She still found it hard being away from home so much, especially away from their Mum.

He pushed through the crowd until he finally got to his parents. His Mum saw him and immediately pulled him into a hug, kissing his head over and over like she did every time. His Dad patted his back a few times and through an arm around Albus' shoulder.

James joined them a minute later and after catching up briefly, they started to head towards the floo. Harry's arm still hung loosely around Albus' shoulder, and Albus was happy. He forgot how nice it was with the whole family. Albus saw Scorpius in the distance and realised they were heading straight towards him. Scorpius was with his father and they were hugging. As they separated, the Potters walked past and Harry nodded in a friendly manner at Draco. Draco returned the gesture and Albus didn't know they were even on good enough terms for that. Albus couldn't help but wave at Scorpius and Scorpius winked back and Albus, making his heart yearn for the other boy. He noticed Scorpius' mother wasn't there, but he assumed she was just busy.

Back at home, the family sat round at the long table, talking casually. They lived in Grimmauld Place which Harry inherited after the war. James was telling his mum and dad mostly about Quidditch, Albus inputting every once in awhile, only when asked a question.

Ginny suggested that the kids go to see Grandma Molly while she prepared dinner. James and Lily agreed and said they were going to get changed.

Albus hung around the kitchen where his mum was beginning to get the food ready and Harry was reading the Daily Prophet at the table.

"Are you not going, Albus?" Ginny asked while tying her hair up.

"No... I was kind of hoping to speak to you both, alone if that's okay," Albus said nervously.

"Of course, Albus," Ginny looked over at her husband, coughing, "Harry?"

His dad suddenly looked up and nodded frantically, "Oh yeah, of course."

James and Lily came back in and said they were off and went without asking Albus if he was too. James had been funny with him ever since their argument and he wouldn't be surprised if he had bitched to their sister too. Albus couldn't find the will to care at the moment.

Albus sat down at the table opposite his dad and suddenly felt nerves hit him like a wave. He gulped and thought he would wait a few moments before speaking.

"Is everything alright at school, Albus?" Ginny asked, while preparing the food.

"Um... yeah. There's no problems there. It's something else I want to talk to you about," Albus said shakily, looking down and playing with his fingers.

His mum offered him one of those comforting smiles, "Alright. Shoot."

"Um... well I'm seeing someone."

Harry lowered his newspaper abruptly, a wide smile on his face, "About time, son. That's great! Who is she?"

Albus could see his mother's happy face out of the corner of his eye. Oh god, why does she look like she's about to cry. He took a deep breath, "That's the thing... It's not a girl," Their faces dropped, and they looked confused, "It's a guy."

"Oh..." Ginny managed after a moment's silence, "That's a shock, I have to admit. But you know there's nothing wrong with you being gay. You're free to be attracted to whoever you want, like whoever you like, love whoever you love."

"Yeah Albus," Harry piped up, "I'm surprised but it doesn't matter who you like, girl or boy. As long as you're happy, we're happy," He reached across the table and put a hand over his son's.

Albus smiled though he knew that it was not him being gay or liking a boy that would be the possible problem, "I am happy."

"Have you told anyone else?" Ginny asked while walking over to Albus and laying a hand on his shoulder.

"I've told Teddy. I kind of asked him for some advice."

"So no one at school knows? Your brother, your sister?"

"No... I just didn't want anyone getting involved at the moment. I mean... the family are just so intrusive. I thought it would be easier while I was still... adjusting."

Harry chuckled and said, "Our family is extremely nosey. We understand that."

Ginny squeezed Albus' shoulder and smirked, "So, who's the guy?"

Albus closed his eyes and found himself muttering, "Scorpius Malfoy."

Harry looked at his wife with a confused expression, "Malfoy's kid? The one that just moved to Hogwarts?"

The redhead looked startled and shook her head to say she didn't know. A silence unfolded around them and Harry let go of Albus' hand. Albus breathed heavily, taking it as a bad sign.

Albus decided to speak, "He is Draco's son... but Mum, Dad, he's nothing like what anyone ever said Draco was like when he was younger."

"My concern is... can you trust him? I mean... Draco was just never very... loyal to anyone. I have nothing against the man, I haven't known him since Hogwarts. But I'm just saying..." Harry said apprehensively. He kept looking at Ginny who's face was blank.

"He's never given me any reason not to trust him. I trust him with all my heart. He's... wonderful. He makes me feel like I can really be myself. And he... accepts and likes all of that about me. I've really never met anyone like him."

"Oh Albus," His Mum's smile had returned and she hugged him tightly, "It sounds like you're in love."

"N-no!" Albus exclaimed defensively.

Ginny laughed, still hugging Albus tightly. However his Dad still hadn't said anything and Albus stared at him, waiting.

Harry finally sighed and spoke, "I don't know the boy. And I wouldn't want to be that person to judge him without even meeting him. You're happy and that's what's important. I'm glad, and proud that you've told us."

"You don't sound happy though."

"I'm just worried... about you."

"There's nothing to worry about, dad. He really cares about me, I know that. And I care about him."

"Okay... but if he does anything to you... I'll hex his arse off."

Albus couldn't help but laugh, "I'll make sure I tell him."

Ginny sat next to her son and grinned, "So tell us more about him."

Albus thought telling his parents were much easier than he thought it would be. He felt like there was a weight lifted off his shoulders. He knew his dad was slightly apprehensive but Albus knew he was an accepting person. He wanted them to meet Scorpius eventually, to understand him. The fact they were asking about Scorpius was a good thing in Albus' eyes. It was a big step for Albus. He had asked them not to tell anyone right now, it was just them he wanted to know.

The day after was Christmas Eve and as tradition, they all went to the Burrow. Christmas Day was hosted by someone different each year. Tomorrow they were going to Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron's, but Gran's Eve party was inevitable.

The Potters were the first people there as Ginny offered to help her Mum. Albus and his siblings lounged about for a while. Albus sat outside, wrapped in a blanket, staring out over the garden. He thought himself silly for thinking it, but he missed Scorpius. Knowing he would have to go at least a few days before they could meet up made Albus feel empty. Of course he was happy to be seeing his family, but it was always talk of Quidditch and school, work amongst the adults and sharing stories about the war. Uncle George would always tease everyone in some way, mostly Uncle Ron, and James had inherited George's wit so would do it to all the kids, mostly Hugo. Albus found it hard to compare these conversations with those he had with Scorpius where he could just say anything he wanted, and he would never fear being teased or shunned for what he said.

At least he had Teddy, Albus thought.

As if he had heard him, a recognisably comforting voice came, "Well isn't this comfy?"

Albus turned his head to see Teddy heading towards him, wearing a large coat. His hair was a light blue, which Albus recognised as meaning Teddy was cold.

"Hey Ted," Albus said with a grin.

Teddy sat next to his god-brother and pulled some of the blanket over his legs, "What you doing out here alone?"

"Just needed some space. How are you?"

"I'm pretty good. Italy's great, the course is great. Thing's are going well with Serena," Teddy bit his lip and looked at Albus, "But... I just want to know what's going on with Scorpius."

Albus blushed, "We're... seeing each other now. It happened a week after I saw you."

"Wow, that progressed quickly, I didn't think you would make a move."

"He made the first move, just saying."

Teddy shrugged, "He's intuitive. Sometimes I think he can read people's minds. He always knows exactly what other people think about him and feel for him. So, how's it going?"

"It's great. We've spent a lot of time together... I just want to be with him all the time. He really... just understands me. And I like being around someone like that."

"I feel like you're not going to tell me everything... going to have to get the inside gossip from Scorpius himself tomorrow."

"You're not with us for Christmas?"

"Do you remember last Christmas and Victoire's big blow up?" Teddy said with raised eyebrows, "I'm not going through that again."

"Of course... Is she coming tonight?"

"Would I be here if she was? But don't change the subject, tell me more. Have you... you know?"

Albus blushed furiously, "N-no! I mean we're taking it slow for now..."

Teddy laughed loudly, "Oh Albie, you'll always be a prude won't you?"

Albus shoved the older man playfully, "Shut up."

The god-brothers carried on talking. Teddy told Albus more about Serena and said she was going to come to England with him soon. It was only when other members of the family arrived that they went inside.

However, what they didn't realise, was that Teddy had left the door slightly open and James had heard their conversation about Scorpius.

The next morning, Albus awoke to a tapping on his bedroom window. He pried his eyes open and spotted Scorpius' owl at the window. He sprang out of bed and ran towards the window, letting the bird in. The owl dropped a package in Albus' hands before flying away. Albus hoped Scorpius had received his gift. He bought Scorpius a book about Renaissance art because Scorpius said he wanted to use it as inspiration for his next painting.

Albus opened the wrapping and read the card inside. It said 'Happy Christmas, my Albus.' The Potter grinned and opened the box. A wallet lied inside. Albus picked it up and immediately knew what it was made of. Dragon scales. He wondered how Scorpius knew he liked dragons so much. He had never told him. Yes he read books about them, but he read books about other stuff as well. His heart warmed.

"Albus! Breakfast is ready!"

Albus sprung out of bed. He just wished Scorpius was here with him on Christmas Day.

-x-

 _Hey everyone! It's taken me a few days to write this one, it was difficult to get this one right with Albus talking to his parents but I hope you all think it's okay! Good news, I've finished planning this story! Should be 13 chapters, I knew where I wanted it to end from the beginning so I'm happy to have it outlined now. Excited to get it finished! As always, please review!_


	8. Chapter 8

The Christmas holidays came and went. Albus and Scorpius met up a few times in Muggle London. They went to the cinema together, to a restaurant, to Hyde Park for a whole day and even to the Natural History Museum with Teddy. Scorpius dropped Albus off one day and he briefly met his parents. His Mum said what a charming boy he was and that Albus had done well for himself. His Dad had been less enthusiastic but still said that he was a nice bloke, in Harry's words. Scorpius told him that he had told his own parents about Albus. He said they were happy he was finally in a committed relationship and wanted to meet Albus eventually. That scared Albus immensely but thankfully it didn't happen before term started again, so he had more time to mentally prepare himself.

Everything was going well and they returned to Hogwarts mid-January. The only thing that has been off was James, as per usual. He had barely spoken to Albus over the holidays and continued the silence treatment at school. Albus and Scorpius had began to hang around with Albus' friends more, and Scorpius had won them over. Some of them included James' friends, which Albus was sure James wasn't happy about.

They had continued to keep their relationship secret but had been preparing to tell people. Scorpius getting to know Albus' friends was a big plus because at least they wouldn't be against it.

A few weeks into term, the two boys sat in their usual space, near the tree. They are wrapped up in a blanket together. Scorpius was studying Albus' face and caressing his cheek with his thumb. Albus had an arm slung around Scorpius' waist.

"How did you know that I liked dragons so much?" Albus whispered, thinking of the present Scorpius got him for Christmas.

"I could just... see. You were always reading books. Whenever professor Luna talks about the trip to Romania you get excited. Why do you keep it a secret?"

"I want to be a dragon trainer... but everyone's always complaining about Uncle Charlie and him forever being in Romania..."

"Well, I'm glad you've told me. And you need to do what you want to do with your life, not anybody else."

"Live and let live?" Albus said with a cheeky grin.

Scorpius chuckled and repeated, "Live and let live."

Albus leaned in and kissed Scorpius firmly. He could feel Scorpius smiling into the kiss; He often did when Albus initiated kisses. He knew he liked it when Albus was forward, he never said it but Albus could just tell.

Scorpius slid his hand behind Albus' neck and pulled him closer. Their tongues met mutually in a dance for dominance. Albus began to roll Scorpius gradually, until he was lying on the grass and his chest covered Scorpius. Albus panted as they separated for a second. Albus knew he needed to calm himself down. Being pressed up against Scorpius like this was far too arousing. Albus knew he wanted to do more than just kiss now, he was ready he just didn't know whether Scorpius also wanted to.

However, Scorpius' hand found it's way to Albus' leg and he pulled it in between Scorpius' legs so their bodies were slotted together. Albus breathed heavily and Scorpius looked at his mischievously. His hands returned to Albus' face but instead of bringing him in for a kiss, he pressed his lips against Albus' neck, placing over mouth kisses over his bare skin. Albus couldn't help but let out a loud moan and he buried his face in Scorpius' hair.

"Fuck Albus, you turn me on," Scorpius said hoarsely against his neck.

Albus couldn't find his voice and hummed in response. Another spark of arousal spiked through Albus' body and he dove in and kissed Scorpius more passionately and forcefully than they ever had before. Their groins brushed together and this time a moan escaped from Scorpius' lips. Albus pulled away and looked into Scorpius' eyes, trying to gage a reaction from the other boy. Scorpius caressed the back of Albus' neck making him sigh. His hands slowly lowered to Albus' hips. He pushed the Potter's hips towards his, their erections rubbing against each other's. Scorpius growled and suddenly rolled Albus over and rolled their hips together.

Albus had never felt so sensual and sexy in his life before. Scorpius ignited a fire and passion in him he never could have imagined he would have. He didn't feel embarrassed by anything he did, Scorpius always seemed to like it and encourage him.

Scorpius whispered to Albus sweet words and some dirty. He pulled each of their members out of their trousers and Albus had to bury his head in Scorpius' shoulder as he felt Scorpius stroking him. The light haired boy took both their cocks in one hand and stroked them together.

Scorpius allowed Albus to try as well while he continued to kiss Albus' neck and behind his ears. The two boys became more comfortable as they began to learn what each other liked. As they got closer, Scorpius rutted against Albus while holding Albus' hips and staring Albus in the eye. Albus threw his head back and groaned loudly as he came. He heard his name slip from Scorpius' lips in the most sensual way and Albus couldn't help but smile as he realised Scorpius had reached his completion too.

Scorpius collapsed on Albus, his legs either side of Albus' hips. They both panted and revelled in their post-orgasmic state. Scorpius eventually lifted his head and flashed Albus that smile. Albus couldn't help but let out a small laugh which sounded more like a giggle. Scorpius leaned in a gave Albus a lingering kiss before rolling over next to his boyfriend and covering them both in the blanket that had been long forgotten. They sorted themselves out before cuddling together, sweaty and satisfied.

"Well that was-"

Scorpius cut Albus off, "Amazing."

They both laughed. Scorpius adjusted himself to his favourite position, his face nestled in Albus' neck.

"I'm sorry, I should have asked if you wanted to go inside first," Scorpius said.

"No it's okay... there's no one around anyway."

"Albus, I just want to say, I really like you. I have never felt this way about anyone before. You mean a lot to me," Scorpius said with a smile.

Albus grinned and pecked Scorpius' nose, "I really like you too. You've made me feel... so good about myself. You're fascinating. You fascinate me. And... you're bloody hot I have to say. That was bloody hot."

Scorpius laughed again, "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I did very much too."

"Can we do it again?"

The Malfoy smirked, "There's more we can do than just that."

Albus and Scorpius spent the rest of that evening exploring each other's bodies. Charms were put up so no one could see them and clothes were shed. Albus thought Scorpius was even more beautiful naked. He took to kissing every inch of Scorpius' body like he had been doing it for years. Scorpius made noises and said his name more sensually than he had ever heard before. Albus gave his first blowjob. Scorpius returned the favour happily. They returned to their dorm giddy and sated.

Albus had never felt so alive or so confident in his life.

The next day, Albus and Scorpius were walking back to the dorm with Geoffrey after dinner. Geoffrey was the only person at Hogwarts that knew about them. He had walked in on them a week back kissing in the dorm. He hadn't been surprised, he said he had his suspicions. He was very supportive and was encouraging them to tell people. They had a plan to tell people one by one rather than making a public appearance.

"Hey!"

The yell came from behind them and the three boys all turned around instantly. James was approaching them and he had a fierce look in his eye. Albus knew this could not end well.

He stood a few steps away and without even trying to hide it, glared at Scorpius. Scorpius gave as good as he got, as always, which seemed to annoy James even more.

"Can I speak to you, Scorpius," He said harshly, demanding rather than asking.

"Why can't we hear what you have to say?" Albus said, stepping forward defensively.

"It doesn't involve you, Albus."

"I'm pretty sure it does though."

Geoffrey looked very awkward and decided that he was going to head off. They waited for him to go but there were still students constantly walking past them.

"Why didn't you tell me you were seeing Scorpius?"

Albus was startled. He had no idea how James could possibly know about him and Scorpius, or how long he had known. More importantly, he had no idea what James thought or how he would react.

The younger Potter had so many questions for his brother but he couldn't help but respond defensively, "So you do want to talk to me."

James ignored Albus' sarcastic comment, "I overheard you talking with Teddy on Christmas Eve. So don't even try and deny it."

"That was like a month ago, James. Why didn't you ask before now?"

"Because I was trying to wrap my head around it. I thought I might have misheard or something," James shrugged, "It's not you being gay that bothers me-"

"It's because it's me," Scorpius said very matter of factly, a blank look on his face.

James stared at Scorpius for a moment and then spoke, "Exactly. I don't like you."

"I don't care for you much either. But Albus does like me. And he's the one I'm in a relationship with. He's his own person," Scorpius said calmly.

"Maybe he should start fighting his own battles."

Albus rolled his eyes and was about to speak when Scorpius retorted with a sneer in his voice, "I thought I was originally the person you wanted to speak to anyway."

James began to raise his voice, "You're a smart arse bastard and you're rude. I don't want you near my brother, you're a bad influence on him. He's changed since he met you."

Albus felt tears welling his eyes. He found it hard to hear that his brother thought that he had changed when in his mind he was just finally being himself. Scorpius must of sensed his anguish, and grabbed Albus' hand where everyone could see them, "James, you don't know me. You are being judgemental and I know it's because of my name. You have never tried to even speak to me before you judged me. I find it ridiculous that you can say those things about me when you've never even had a conversation with me."

"I've never wanted to speak to you, you think you're above everyone else! You're a fucking snob!"

"You're a fucking idiot."

Albus saw James pull out his wand and Scorpius dropped Albus' hand immediately and his wand appeared from nowhere. James threw a hex angrily at Scorpius and he instantly blocked it. Before Albus could even think, hexes were flying everywhere. Albus looked around, worried a teacher would come around at any moment. Panicked, Albus pulled out his own wand and disarmed James easily before grabbing Scorpius' arm to stop him from doing anything else. He had never seen Scorpius so wound up, Scorpius was trembling in his grip.

By then, a few people had stopped and began to watch. Albus knew the rumour mill would be churning. He knew everyone would know about him and Scorpius by tomorrow, maybe even by that evening. Albus suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of anxiety.

James was furious. Albus could see that. Albus had never felt so stuck in the middle in his life. He wanted to calm his brother down but he knew it was James' fault and Scorpius was riled up. He turned to Scorpius and made his boyfriend look into his eyes. Scorpius sighed and Albus could see Scorpius was immediately ashamed of his actions. He put a hand at the back of Albus' neck in an apology but Albus could only think about James and the way he was looking at the both of them.

"That was ridiculous, James!" Albus nearly yelled, "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about me and Scorpius myself. I'm sorry you had to overhear it and it didn't come directly from me. But I really like Scorpius. And my relationship has nothing to do with you. You're my brother, James, you can't dictate who I go out with or who I am! It would be great if you and Scorpius got along, of course! But if you can't you're going to have to accept that you're both part of my life and just deal with it! I really like him. And nothing you say will sway me."

James shook his head in frustration and began to walk away, "Fine. Do what you want. Just don't come running to me when you realise he's not what you think he is."

James stormed off down the corridor. Albus tried desperately to stop the tears in his eyes. He wished James would not react like this, that he would just let Albus get on with his own life. Albus felt himself being pulled into a hug and he fell into Scorpius' embrace.

"I am so sorry, Albus," He whispered, "I lost my temper. I'm sorry."

Albus shook his head, "It's not your fault."

They stood there, for the first time exposed, Albus engulfed in Scorpius' arms, reluctant to move and face the outside world.

-x-

Sorry I haven't posted for a while! Updates might be a bit slower, I'm back at uni now! Please review and tell me what you think of James' reaction!


	9. Chapter 9

Having everyone know about their relationship surprisingly didn't change much for Albus and Scorpius. If anything, things were a lot better. They didn't have to sneak around anymore; being able to hold hands, hug, touch each other affectionately without reservation was a luxury. It also meant that their friends and Albus' family understood the more, and understood why they had been distant. They seemed to accept the Potter and the Malfoy's dynamic far more.

James had not spoken to either of them since confronting them. Every time Albus saw or thought of James, he felt extremely disheartened. James would not even make eye contact with him. He didn't turn up to practice because he didn't want any fights on the Quidditch pitch. James replaced him within a day. Albus didn't care much for Quidditch, but he was hurt James didn't even tell him. Albus wanted more than anything for him and James to make up and move past everything that had happened, but he wanted to focus on what he did have at the moment. He needed to be with Scorpius and live his own life. There was nothing more he could say to James.

Dominique's reaction had been intense, emotional and comical all at the same time. They were in the common room a day after their fight with James, studying when she approached them. With all the drama that had come with the argument with James, Albus had neglected to tell one of his best friends.

"What the fuck you two?!" Dominique said in her usual dramatic way, "Is this just another crazy rumour or are you actually together?!"

Albus' eyes widened when he realised he hadn't told Dominique, "Oh god, Dom. I'm so sorry. Everything's happened so fast... I-I wish I could have told you first."

Dominique sat down abruptly, "When the hell did this happen?"

"Before Christmas."

"Before Christmas?!" Dominique almost yelled, catching the attention of a few people around them, "I-I mean I just don't know why you wouldn't tell me. You're one of my best friends... I thought you were one of mine."

Albus had cursed himself inside. Keeping his relationship with Scorpius to himself meant sacrificing the trust of some of his friends and family. Scorpius was reassuring and said it was right for Albus, and that's all that mattered and it was about making his loved ones realise this. But at that moment, Albus was just upset that Dominique actually thought that way, "Dom, you are! And you would have been one of the first people I would have told if... James hadn't found out and practically shouted it from the tower."

"Oh... it was James that told everyone?" Dominique asked sounding more sympathetic.

"Yes, it didn't seem he could ask us normally," Scorpius said sarcastically.

"Why did you keep it secret though? I mean... I came to you for help with Lysander... Why couldn't you do the same with me?"

Scorpius looked at Albus with a supportive smile and Albus knew this was the opportunity to make her understand, "I needed to kind of... figure it out for myself. I mean... it was not just about being in a relationship. It was my... sexuality as well, do you know what I mean? I had to learn a lot of new things about myself and I just needed to adjust."

Albus was surprised when Dominique said she did understand. She had proceeded to ask them a number of slightly outrageous questions and drop numerous jokes in. Scorpius had found it hilarious. Albus was more embarrassed than anything.

And that was the only conflict they ever had about Albus' relationship. She didn't even ask about his sexual orientation once. She didn't even seem to take it into account. Which made Albus feel all the more confident in himself and being public with Scorpius.

Albus and Scorpius had still not had sex. They had spoken about it and they said they would try when they felt ready but they were pretty satisfied with their current situation. Albus and Scorpius had never been happier or stronger.

It was Scorpius' birthday and Albus had plans. He had been excited for Scorpius' birthday, far more than the birthday boy himself. He wanted to treat Scorpius, not just buy him a present, but actually do something he would enjoy and that they could have an experience together.

It was the evening of his birthday and they had classes all day. Albus had woken Scorpius up early and given him a 'treat'. Albus had grown to embrace his sexuality. He felt powerful but at the same time joined and equal with another person like he never had been before. He liked pleasing Scorpius and Scorpius liked to do the same for him. And Scorpius loved Albus being confident and sometimes mischievous. He liked Albus taking control and Albus found he liked to as well.

They walked down the corridor, Albus standing behind, almost pushing Scorpius along.

"Where on earth are you talking me, Albus Severus?" Scorpius said with a laugh.

"Patience, young one," Albus said mockingly.

Albus arrived at his destination and dragged Scorpius back and forth three times before a large door appeared on the wall. Scorpius was moaning and asking Albus what he was doing and Albus just told him to shut it. The Potter managed to maneuver them into the room, making Scorpius stumble a few times.

"You know, this is not the way I would have liked to spend my birthday," Scorpius said as the door slammed behind them.

"It's going to get better quickly."

Albus' hands slipped away from Scorpius' face. His eyes widened when he saw the sight before him. They were in a cosy room with a fireplace, sofas and lit candles on every surface. Scorpius didn't say anything for a while, half out of amazement and half confusion.

"What... How?" Scorpius stuttered, gazing at the room.

Albus pulled his boyfriend by the hand to the sofa and they plopped down on it, "It's the room of requirement. My dad told me about it in my second year. I used to come here a lot to just... get away and think. I haven't for a while."

"But... what is it? Why... I've never seen it before."

"It appears when you need it. Or when you know how to find it," Scorpius shifted his legs after kicking his shoes off, his feet resting on Albus' lap. He stared intently at Albus, interested in Albus' explanation so he continued, "During the battle of Hogwarts, the room was set on fire. My dad said that when they were rebuilding Hogwarts, he went to see it and it had completely repaired itself. It was brand new."

"Why was it set on fire?"

"Has your dad not told you this story?" Albus asked cautiously.

"No."

"Well... I don't know if he would want me to tell you..."

"I know my father was on the wrong side of the war. I know he was one of the bad guys," Scorpius said without any sense of shame, "I'm not ashamed of my father. And I never will be. He's explained himself to me and that's all I need. If he didn't tell me it is not because he wanted to hide it."

Albus was taken aback. He was worried he had offended Scorpius. He suddenly became the jittery mess he had been when he first met the other boy, "I-I'm sorry I didn't mean to... I mean I didn't think-"

"Albus you haven't offended me. I just wanted to tell you I am aware of what he has done and what he used to be. I just... I'm sorry. I did act defensive."

Albus was internally shocked at Scorpius' reaction. He was normally so calm and collected and always had the right answer to everything. He reached over and held Scorpius' hand, "Are you alright?"

"Yes... I'm sorry. People misunderstand my father. A lot. I just don't want you to think anything badly of him before you meet him."

"I don't... Do you want me to tell you the story?"

"I would like that."

Albus told him about their dads confrontation in the very room they found themselves in. He told his boyfriend and the fire that his dad actually saved Draco from. Scorpius joked and said thank god he did because Scorpius wouldn't be here if he hadn't.

Albus presented Scorpius with a picnic and while they ate he wondered if Scorpius was truly alright. He had never snapped that way before, especially not Albus. It was not a big deal but because it was Scorpius it was. Albus was extremely worried and he knew it was for no reason at all. He wasn't used to seeing Scorpius on edge.

"Are you okay?" Albus asked, concern ridden in his voice.

Scorpius flashed him that smile and Albus felt the worry ease, "I'm fine. I'm happy to be here. With you."

Albus felt like his heart was swelling as it often did when Scorpius was around. He couldn't resist climbing over and diving in for a kiss. Scorpius reciprocated with a passion only he possessed, his hand sliding behind Albus' neck.

The kiss soon became heated and they shifted to a more comfortable position with Albus on top of Scorpius. Albus' legs slotted between Scorpius, their groins grinding against one another's slowly. Albus gasped into Scorpius' mouth when the blonde lowered his hand to Albus' arse and pulled him closer. Albus' lips trailed lower to Scorpius' neck and he pressed kisses to pale skin. Scorpius threw his head back and groaned.

"Albus..." Scorpius whispered hoarsely, "I want you to fuck me."

Albus automatically pulled away and looked Scorpius in the eye. A surge of arousal rushed through Albus' body, "W-what?"

"I want to give myself to you. And for you to give yourself to me. Do you want to?"

Albus found himself nodding. Scorpius dragged Albus down and kissed him fiercely. Albus returned the ferocity, cupping Scorpius' face. Albus felt like he had been waiting for this all his life. This wasn't just anybody, this was Scorpius and Scorpius was special. He wanted this more than anything in that moment, and he wanted Scorpius to feel good too.

Clothes were shed in an instant. They were hurried and desperate. It was only when they were completely naked that they took a moment to take what they were doing in and actually look at each other.

Scorpius was still lying underneath Albus. Albus thought his boyfriend looked like a Greek god. How does someone like this like me, Albus thought. Here he was, all flushed and messy and Scorpius' skin was still shining and his hair was askew but somehow looked like it was supposed to be that way. But he reminded himself, like Scorpius had told him so many times, that Scorpius adored him. Scorpius thought Albus was humble and kind, he thought he was interesting and smart and that's why he was with him. Scorpius didn't care that Albus was nervous and a little bit awkward sometimes, he liked that about him.

Albus was so absorbed in his thoughts, he didn't notice Scorpius staring intently at him while stroking the expanse of Albus' back, "You're so beautiful."

Albus felt his cheeks redden even further, "You're the beautiful one."

Scorpius smiled and laughed lightly, "Just kiss me."

The Potter reattached his lips to Scorpius'. Their bodies molded together in heated embrace. They slowly stroked each other, their kisses roaming each other's bodies.

Eventually, Scorpius separated his lips from Albus' collar bone and whispered, "Albus, I'm close. We need to stop for now," Albus panted slightly, peeling himself away from his boyfriend, "Please. I want you to make love to me. Please..."

Albus became caught up in Scorpius' words. Here was Scorpius Malfoy, actually begging Albus to sleep with him. Scorpius smirked at Albus, he knew the effect of what he said had on Albus. He slid his hand and held Albus' in his. He guided Albus down to his entrance.

Albus was nervous. He didn't want to hurt Scorpius though Scorpius had admitted to him before he had done this before. It comforted Albus somewhat (after the jealousy of thinking somebody else had slept with Scorpius) but he still couldn't help but worry. However, Scorpius whispered instructions for Albus. Albus continued to pepper kisses along Scorpius' neck and shoulders and it was when Scorpius moaned his name and told him to keep hitting a certain spot, that Albus finally felt more confident.

Scorpius grabbed Albus' hand, promptly stopping him. Albus looked at Scorpius curiously and that smile plastered the Malfoy's lips as he pushed Albus back so he was sitting on the sofa. Scorpius didn't waste any time when climbing on Albus' lap and joining their lips together again.

"Are you ready?" Scorpius asked.

Albus nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah. Are you?"

"Yes."

Scorpius held Albus' cock as he sunk down on top of Albus, wrapping his other arm around Albus' neck. Albus' arms wrapped around Scorpius' body. Albus was engulfed by a heat and pleasure he had never experienced before. He couldn't help but groan and he only felt better when he heard Scorpius moan as well.

When Scorpius was fully seated, he buried his face in the other boy's shoulder, "Are you okay?" Albus managed to ask, reaching up to stroke Scorpius' hair.

"Yes, I just need... a few," Scorpius murmured with a chuckle in his voice.

Albus giggled also and they waited for a minute. Albus didn't think he ever felt so complete and happy in his life. He wished that he could always have Scorpius like this; in his arms, bodies united, Scorpius belonging to him and him belonging to Scorpius. They didn't need to exchange any words. As Scorpius gazed into his eyes and caressed his cheek, Albus thought for once he was looking into Scorpius' soul and it wasn't just Scorpius looking into his.

Scorpius began to move his hips towards Albus and it felt wonderful. Albus quickly joined in with Scorpius, moving his hips upwards. Scorpius quietly told Albus to circle his hips rather than buck up and Albus muttered an apology. Scorpius kissed Albus gently and told him not to be.

The boys established a rhythm they were both comfortable with. It was slow and careful but not awkward. It was intimate and was better than Albus could ever imagined his first time with Scorpius would be. Scorpius was making the most sensual sounds Albus had ever heard. Albus found himself burying himself deeper and harder into the blonde. Scorpius cried out suddenly and Albus panicked slightly, thinking he had hurt his boyfriend.

But Scorpius' cry slipped into a low moan, "Albus! Oh Merlin, do that again!"

Albus continued with that movement and Scorpius' loud moans did not cease. Groans filled the room and Albus only pulled Scorpius closer to him, Scorpius' member rubbing against Albus' stomach.

Albus felt his release nearing and he reached between their bodies, pumping Scorpius' cock as his thrusts became more erratic. Scorpius threw his head back wildly.

"Fuck Scorpius..." Albus moaned, "God, I love you..."

Scorpius suddenly clenched around Albus' length, Albus' name coming hoarsely from his lips. Albus was sent over the edge as well and hung onto Scorpius for dear life as he released inside the Malfoy.

They both stayed in that position, hugging tightly as they recovered. Albus breathed hard. He felt free but at the same time, united. Completely united with another person for once in his life. Scorpius completed him. He knew that now.

Scorpius' lips were pressed to Albus' forehead as he recovered his breath. His nose rocked at the line of Albus' hair and Albus closed his eyes, soaking in the moment.

"I love you too," Scorpius whispered.

Albus opened his eyes. His heart swelled with an emotional satisfaction Albus had never experienced before. He thought Scorpius could probably feel his heart beating against his chest but then he realised, that Scorpius' was also doing the same.

He opened his mouth a few times to speak and finally managed a shaky "What?"

Scorpius looked searchingly into Albus' eyes, "You said before... you loved me, so I am saying... I love you too."

Albus' cheeks blushed when he realised he had let that slip. It felt so natural to say that to Scorpius, he hardly realised he had, "I do love you. More than anything."

Scorpius' lips tugged into a smile and his eyes sparkled, "I have to say... I think this was the best birthday gift I've ever had."

"It was the best birthday I never had," Albus grinned widely.

Scorpius laughed along and pulled Albus down to lie down with him, their bodies pressed closely to fit on the sofa. Scorpius wrapped his arms around Albus, pressing his face in his boyfriend's neck.

"You're going to make me want to go again," Albus admitted.

He could feel Scorpius' smirk, "That is my intention."

-x-

 _Hello all! Hope you're all alright, sorry this has taken a few days but I'll hopefully be posting the next chapter over the weekend because it's a much shorter one! Thanks to everyone who reviewed and please continue!_


	10. Chapter 10

A few days before the Easter holidays, Albus and Scorpius lay in Scorpius' bed, late at night in a state of post-orgasmic bliss. The boys could hardly keep their hands off each other since they slept together. They were attached at the hip, running off to the room of requirement or back to their dorm to have sex. A few people said that it was their honeymoon phase but Albus couldn't imagine ever wanting someone as much as he wanted Scorpius.

Albus had never been happier. He felt more confident in himself and more accepted than he ever had been before. Scorpius had changed his life. He understood now that you had to be yourself in order to be happy. He realised that not everybody had to like him and there was nothing wrong if they didn't. He was honest with everybody now. He told Dominique, Teddy and even Louis and Hugo about wanting to be a dragon trainer and they said if that's what Albus wanted to do he should do it. He planned to tell his parents at Easter. He had began to look into courses to become a dragon trainer and was going to ask his Uncle Charlie at the reserve when he went during Easter. He was looking forward to going there with Scorpius, and sharing his passion with his boyfriend.

James had began to speak to Albus every once in awhile. Admittedly, it was only if he had to and definitely not when Scorpius was around. Albus revelled in those quick conversations. He missed his brother and he thought James missed him too. There would be a slight hint of normality in their relationship for a moment. For now, that was enough for Albus to hope they would eventually make amends.

"I found this course to become a dragon trainer. It's in New York," Albus whispered into Scorpius' ear. His arm was slung over Scorpius' stomach while Scorpius stroked Albus' chest.

"New York? That would be amazing. Are you going to apply?"

"I think. I'm going to ask Uncle Charlie if it's a good one first. But I would love to live in New York."

"I have never been to New York."

"It's a brilliant city. It's just got... an atmosphere to it, y'know?" Albus knew Scorpius would know what he meant. He always did.

"I understand. It sounds like an exciting city."

"What do you want to do after school?"

Scorpius shrugged, "I don't know. I would like to travel for a while I think. I will probably go... paint somewhere. Find somewhere that inspires me."

Albus tested the water by asking, "Perhaps... New York?"

Scorpius chuckled lightly, "Perhaps. It's over a year away. A lot of things happen in a year."

Albus suddenly felt a sting of disappointment, "Do you not... don't you think we'll be together in a year?"

"I hope we are together in a year. But... we have to be realistic. We don't know what will happen."

"You might meet someone else."

Scorpius smiled softly and shook his head, "You might meet someone else. I don't think I will ever meet someone like you."

Albus frowned and squeezed his boyfriend's side, "And you really think I would meet someone else like you?"

"This is all... new for you. You might want to... experiment?"

"Scorpius Malfoy. When did you become so unsure of yourself?"

Scorpius turned his head and looked up at the drapes dreamily, "Since I fell in love with you."

Albus shifted and lifted his hand run his fingers through Scorpius' hair, "I promise you, Scorpius. I will always want you if you want me."

"Don't make promises you cannot keep."

"I promise you, I will keep that promise," the Potter grinned.

Scorpius laughed and lifted his head to kiss the other boy.

Albus thought about how many more layers he had discovered to Scorpius since he first met him. Scorpius didn't put up a front at all, but he was not just the artistic, liberal and instantly fascinating person he had initially thought. Teddy was right; when Scorpius cared about someone he was fiercely loyal. He could be jealous and slightly self-conscious when he truly cared about someone. Albus loved all of this about him.

He fell asleep thinking about Scorpius, as he did most nights.

The next day, Albus and Scorpius went their separate ways for different classes. They left each other with a kiss goodbye and a promise to meet each other at lunch.

Albus had Charms which he found irrevocably boring but had taken it because it was a useful subject. He itched to see Scorpius and his friends at lunch.

He had a few free periods and returned to his dorm for a few hours sleep because he and Scorpius had been up late. Albus didn't feel like going to the library. It was a dull day, the sort of day Albus liked to just curl up in bed.

His alarm went off at midday and he took a few minutes to finally get out of bed. Albus redressed and made his way down to the great hall for lunch.

Louis and Rose were already sitting at the Gryffindor table so he went and joined them. He knew Scorpius had potions so he might take a while to get there.

"Have you just got out of bed, Albus?" Rose asked with disdain in her voice.

"I had a few free periods," Albus said casually.

"Do you not realise we are studying for the most important exams in our life? Why not use that time wisely."

"Not all of us are swots like you, Rose," Louis commented quietly.

She ignored Louis and looked at Albus harshly for an explanation, "I like sleep better," he said simply.

"Sleep is not going to get you good results."

"He will have more energy to bang Scorpius later. That's a good result," Louis smirked, nudging Albus' arm with his elbow.

"You pervert," Albus said with a laugh.

Dominique soon joined them, complaining about something or another that her recent boyfriend, Lysander had said to freak her out. Albus' train of thought wandered and he began to think about Scorpius. He was late for lunch. Perhaps his class had overrun. He did have Potions after all.

But time went on and Scorpius did not show up. Albus stayed with his family in the great hall for the whole of their break, continually glancing at the doors, looking for his boyfriend. Albus felt stupid for being worried. Scorpius had probably decided to go to the library or something. It was no big deal. Anyway, he had DADA next and Scorpius was in the same class.

But Scorpius wasn't there either. And he wasn't in Care of Magical Creatures at the end of the day either. Albus was questioned by both of his teachers as to where Scorpius was and he could only shrug and say he didn't know.

At the end of the school day, Albus went straight to the library to search for Scorpius. He looked around every corner, every book shelf. He wasn't there. His next point of call was the Hogwarts grounds, where he and Scorpius shared so many memories. Scorpius wasn't there either. Albus decided to quickly check the room of requirement, though thought it was unlikely for Scorpius to be there without him. He was right.

Albus suddenly realised that he hadn't even checked the dorm and this all might of been a complete waste of time. He half expected to see Scorpius there; it was likely he was tired and had gone to bed or was just relaxing.

He wasn't there either.

By that point, Albus was out of his wits. He had searched everywhere Scorpius could be. Was Scorpius in another house's dorm somewhere?

Albus marched down to the Gryffindor common room and approached Dominique.

"Have you seen Scorpius?" Albus asked his cousin.

She shook her head, "Nope. Have you looked in the library?"

"Yes! I've looked everywhere, Dom! I don't know where he is, I'm shitting myself, what if he's not okay?"

"Calm down, I'm sure there's an explanation. Maybe he's off with another friend."

"He wasn't in class!"

"Oh..." She looked more perplexed, "Well... maybe ask Professor McGonagall?"

Albus nodded slowly, "Okay."

Dominique placed a hand on Albus' shoulder, "It's gonna be alright, y'know?"

"Okay," Albus repeated, not feeling assured by Dominique's words.

Albus headed to McGonagall's office, hoping she had an explanation. If she didn't know where Scorpius was, Albus knew he had every right to panic. Scorpius had been fine this morning, he wasn't out of sorts in anyway. Scorpius had been absolutely fine.

He knocked on the Professor's door, his hands slightly shaky. He heard the intimidating yet respected voice of his head of house telling him to enter.

"Hello Mr Potter," McGonagall said, not looking up from the scroll she was writing on, "Sit down."

Albus sat down slowly and uncomfortably. For some reason, he felt like head or house was expecting him.

"Is there something you need, Mr Potter?" She asked, finally looking up at him through her thin rimmed glasses.

"Um... I haven't seen Scorpius Malfoy since before lessons. I've looked everywhere for him and I just... I was worried about him."

"Mr Malfoy had to go home," McGonagall told him, casually.

"Oh..." A relief rushed over Albus; At least someone knew where he was and he was safe, "Is he alright?"

"It's a sensitive matter. I don't think it would be appropriate for me to talk about it."

"Okay... Do you know when he will be back?"

"I think it will be after Easter."

"Alright... Um, thank you."

Albus stood up and went to leave, even more confused than before.

"Oh and Mr Potter," Albus turned around as McGonagall spoke, "I suggest you write to Mr Malfoy. I know you are close."

Albus blushed slightly at the thought that his teacher knew about his relationship, "I will."

Albus returned straight to his dorm and retired to bed. He thought he should be less worried than he was. Why wouldn't Scorpius tell him he had to go home? He was with Scorpius all the time, surely if there was something that could make him abruptly leave like this he would have told him.

The Potter shifted in his bed. He felt lonely. He and Scorpius shared a bed most nights. He cursed himself for being silly and missing Scorpius so soon. It was not even a day! But he couldn't deny that he did miss him. He missed his boyfriend a great deal.

He got out of bed suddenly and reached for writing paper. His owl, named after the Greek king of the Gods, Zeus, propped his head up, knowing what was to come.

Albus wrote in a frenzy.

 _Scorpius, I hope you are okay my love. McGonagall told me you've gone home but I don't know why. Please write to me and tell me you're alright. I'm worried about you. I love you and can't wait to see you soon, Albus._

Albus decided to go to sleep. It took him a while but eventually, he drifted off.

The next morning, Zeus flew back through the window. His letter was gone, it had been delivered. There was no reply.

-x-

 _Hello! Would love to know what you thought of this chapter, and what you think has happened to Scorpius! I've had this end in mind pretty much since I started writing this so it will be interesting to see what you all think!_


	11. Chapter 11

Being back at home brought some comfort to Albus Potter but not much. It was the beginning of the second week of Easter and Albus had not heard from Scorpius for nearly two weeks.

Albus was heart broken.

Albus sent a letter to Scorpius every day when he was back at Hogwarts a week before. He wrote with desperation, begging Scorpius to reply and tell him what was going on. As always, there was no reply. The first day back at home, he went to Malfoy Manor, expecting to surprise Scorpius there. However, it was a house elf that answered. He asked to come in but the house elf said that no one was in. He asked if the house elf could tell Scorpius he stopped by. He agreed to, but rushed back inside. Scorpius didn't respond.

The Potter sent a few more letters to Scorpius before giving up. On a desperate last resort, he floo-ed Teddy. Teddy was in Rome but he said he would try and get in contact with Draco or Astoria. Teddy called back a few hours later, saying there was no reply. Teddy said he would keep trying but there was no result, even on his part. Teddy was extremely annoyed at his family for excluding him from whatever was happening.

At first, Albus was worried out of his mind. What had happened to Scorpius? Was he safe? Did something bad happen? He was beside himself. But soon, Albus began to feel more angry than anything. Had Scorpius just moved or something without telling him? Was it getting too serious with he and Albus? Had he decided to just break it off in this way instead? Maybe Scorpius had got bored... Maybe what Albus had initially thought about Scorpius was true. That he was just to liberal and free to be contained in a relationship.

Albus was angry with Scorpius. But he also felt like a fool.

How could the boy who he had given himself to in more ways than one, the only person he had ever fallen in love with and admitted it to, do this to him?

His family and friends had been very supportive. Dominique had been more outraged than anything. She threatened to kick Scorpius' arse, to hex his hair green and write 'DICK' on his forehead and even to drown him in the lake at Hogwarts if he dared to turn up again there. It didn't comfort Albus. He couldn't want Scorpius to be hurt.

His parents had been great; Harry tried contacting the Ministry even but they said any information about the Malfoy family had been asked to be classified. Even Harry Potter, the boy who lived, saviour of the Wizarding world and one of the top aurors couldn't track down Scorpius. James had been strangely supportive. He would offer to play chess with Albus in the evenings and he organised a family Quidditch day. Albus knew that James wasn't saying anything about Scorpius because he wouldn't be able to help saying I told you so.

His uncles, aunties, cousins and friends had all been trying to keep Albus busy and had succeeded. But truly, Albus just wanted to curl up in a ball all the time and mope his days away.

After a lot of persuading, his parents convinced Albus to still go on the trip to Romania. He was reluctant for a long time. He and Scorpius had been planning for the trip for a long time. They had been excited to go away together. Albus was not excited anymore whatsoever. But he had told his parents, though it felt like a mistake now, about wanting to be a dragon trainer. They said he had to go for himself and for his future. Scorpius couldn't get in the way of his dreams. Albus understood but it didn't stop him from dreading the trip. He decided to go, mostly because he was so furious with Scorpius that he wanted to prove he was still carrying on with his life.

His mum went with him to meet Professor Lovegood at the floo point. There was a part of Albus that hoped Scorpius would turn up. He knew he wouldn't, but that didn't stop him from hoping.

Ginny spoke to Luna briefly before coming to say goodbye to her son.

"I've just said to Luna that you're to come home if you're not feeling good, okay?" Ginny said while stroking Albus' hair.

"Did she... say she had spoken to him?" Albus asked hesitantly.

"No... his dad called instead."

"So, he's not coming."

Ginny sighed and lowered her head, "I think you knew he wouldn't."

"Yeah..."

"Come here," Ginny gave Albus a tight hug and he got the sudden urge to just stay with his parents, "You'll be fine. Have a good time. Uncle Charlie's there if you need anything."

"Thanks mum."

"I love you."

"Love you too."

When they arrived at the reserve, they were shown to their rooms. Albus was supposed to share a room with Scorpius and Professor Lovegood asked if he wanted to move but Albus refused, saying he didn't want to hassle her and it would be quite nice to have some space.

On the first day, a dragon trainer took them to the stables as they called them. She was a nice woman that Albus had actually heard of from his Uncle Charlie. Her name was Melissa. She showed them dragons that were sick and some who were too wild to be let out into the world. The highlight was a baby Hungarian Horntail. Melissa said the dragon was rejected by its mother who had multiple babies at the same time. She said he was the runt of the litter. They were allowed to go close to the small dragon as she said he had become quite accustomed to humans. For a while, Albus forgot about Scorpius and was revelling in being near the creatures he was so fascinated by.

Albus felt lonely in his room so he told Luna he was going to see Charlie. Charlie lived on the reserve and it was just a walk away from his accommodation. He knocked on the door of the little wood cabin Charlie loved so much. Albus' thoughts drifted to Scorpius again and he thought about what they would be doing if he was here. Probably lying in bed after a few hours of groping each other. Albus was saddened by the thought of being there without Scorpius.

Charlie answered the door with his bright smile which never seemed to cease. He hugged Albus immediately and Albus felt calm. He loved Uncle Charlie. He was always so happy when Charlie was around. He thought of when he was younger and he and all his cousins would be so excited for their uncle to arrive for Christmas or Easter or other occasions. It was a sin Charlie didn't have children himself.

Albus and Charlie settled by on sofa near Charlie's fire. It was a cosy place, a place you could easily live on your own. Albus liked it here.

Charlie asked him questions about school and his friends, the usual. They talked about the reserve and Albus asked him questions about becoming a dragon trainer. Charlie was extremely helpful and told him a lot of stuff about courses. He recommended the New York course. Charlie said he could always put a good word in for Albus. He seemed quite excited that someone in the family wanted to follow in his path.

"So... your mum told me about your boyfriend. What's happened?" Charlie asked, taking a sip of tea.

"I don't really know if he's my boyfriend anymore to be honest," Albus realised it hurt to say that out loud.

"He would be an idiot to let such a good guy go."

"I... I think part of me knew something bad would happen," Albus admitted, "He's so... spirited and carefree. He just... has a certain outlook on life. And... I was stupid enough to think he cared about me enough to put that aside."

"Don't beat yourself up, Al. What did he do...?"

"He just... He's disappeared. I don't know where he is, why he went. He won't reply to any of my letters... I went to his house. He wasn't there apparently. I just thought... we were serious y'know?"

"How long have you been together?"

"About five months."

"Fuck... That's long."

Albus shrugged, "He said he loved me."

Charlie shook his head and muttered, "Prick," his hand rested on Albus' shoulder, "Look... Take it from someone who is perpetually dating, people are complicated. Relationships are complicated. I know you look at your parents, and Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione and the rest of them and think that you're just going to meet someone and it will be perfect. It's not like that in reality. They got lucky."

I know but... Uncle Charlie it felt really special! Like it was something that was going to last. I know it sounds stupid but... Scorpius made me a better person. He made me feel like... me."

"Guys are complicated to date, Albus. Even more complicated to be in a relationship."

Albus looked at Charlie with confusion, "And you would know... How?"

Charlie laughed slightly, "I'm bi, Al. Didn't you know that?"

"No!" Albus exclaimed in shock, "If I knew that I would have come to you for help sooner!"

"I mean, the family knows but I kind of like to keep any relationship I have to myself. Man or woman. I would have to be getting married to finally tell the family."

"Has it always just gone... wrong for you?"

"Yes. I've loved people many times over. But... I think perhaps I was too much of a free spirit. Like Scorpius."

They sat in silence for a moment. Charlie looked like he was thinking intensely. Finally he sighed and patted Albus' shoulder.

"It seems like the end of the world now, Al. But I promise you... This is just an experience. Something you'll learn from. It hurts now... but soon you'll be glad it happened because you know more now than you did before. You know... not to put your heart on the line as much."

Albus lowered his head, feeling ashamed. How could have let someone become his world like this? Charlie was right, there was so much more out there. He could be going to New York for gods sake! There would be plenty of interesting men and women out there for Albus. He couldn't mope around forever after a high school fling. Yet, the aching for Scorpius couldn't be ignored.

Albus ended up falling asleep at Charlie's that night and headed back to his room in the morning. Out of everyone, Charlie made Albus feel the best about what had happened. It would be hard to accept but Albus knew it was a much bigger world out there than just what he knew now. Funnily enough, Scorpius I had taught him that.

On the second day at the reserve, Melissa showed them some of the grounds. A boy called Samson, a quiet Ravenclaw began to talk to him. He was friendly but extremely shy. He was shorter than Albus and had black hair and blue eyes. Albus thought Samson might have a crush on him. He could appreciate Samson's good looks, but at the end of the day what could compare to Scorpius' beauty? However, he liked the company and was flattered by the obvious signs of attraction. It was fun being the more confident one for once.

Melissa took them to see a dragon that had been tranquilised for a health check. They watched as she inspected the beast, looking at his wings, legs, eyes and more. She explained why she did what she did as she went along and Albus hung off every word. She said that to be a dragon trainer, you had to be prepared to work in every area of the dragon reserve. She said, before the dragon woke up, if anyone would like to touch it. Albus stepped forward immediately without thinking and the trainer told him where to place his hand.

As Albus stroked the dragon, he felt comforted in the thought that this could be his life one day. He would live in this community who all shared the same passion as him. He would get to work with the creatures he had admired so much all his life. He didn't need Scorpius to be happy. He didn't need Scorpius to complete him. He could do that on his own.

That night, Albus lay in bed on his stomach, reading one of his favourite books about dragons. His thoughts about Scorpius did not cease but he was in more of a 'fuck him' sort of mood rather than feeling sorry for himself or craving Scorpius' presence.

He heard the door crack open and he jumped slightly, not expecting company. He thought he would see Samson there, but the visitor surprised him greatly.

His brother, James, was leaning in the doorway, his arms crossed, staring at Albus.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Albus asked with confusion.

"That's a lovely way of greeting your big brother," James said with sarcasm ridden in his voice, "I thought you might need the company. So I flooed Professor Lovegood. She said I could take Malfoy's space on the trip."

"We're only here for one more night though...?"

James moved to sit on the bed opposite Albus, "Yeah. I thought we could stay though. Uncle Charlie said we could stay with him until the end of the holidays if we wanted."

"I didn't think you even wanted to speak to me really..." Albus said quietly.

James rolled his eyes and cocked his head to the side, "You're my brother, Al. You're going through a hard time. I... I'm sorry it's taken me so long to come round but I've missed being normal with you. And Scorpius has been a dick to you. I don't want you hurting... over him."

Albus felt tears prickle his eyes and it wasn't long before he was crying fully for the first time over Scorpius. James surged forward and hugged his brother tightly. Albus wept into James' shoulder for a whole five minutes and James didn't let go of him once.

Albus' sobs began to die and he finally whispered, "James... Jamie I just don't know what happened. I want to know what happened with Scorpius! What did I do wrong that he would do this to me...?"

James squeezed Albus tighter and murmured back, "Nothing you could ever do would warrant this response, Al," He sighed into Albus' hair, "I'm gonna kick his arse if he dares show up at Hogwarts."

Albus couldn't help but laugh. He knew James' threats came from a good place. All this time, James had just wanted to protect him from the inevitable. In that moment, Albus wished he had listened to his big brother in the first place.

After that, Scorpius was not mentioned once for the rest of the week. And Albus was undeniably thankful that he wasn't.

-x-

 _Helloooo. It's good to say that I've officially finished writing this story! Yay! I will try and post the remainder of this story in the next few days, there's not many chapters left! In the meantime, I still haven't heard your theories about what has happened to Scorpius! I would love to see if any of you can guess! Please review!_


	12. Chapter 12

The rest of the Easter holidays proved to be much easier. Albus and James stayed in Romania until the Saturday before their return to Hogwarts. They stayed with Uncle Charlie who cooked for them in the evenings after he got back from work and played card and chess games with them. Truly, Charlie seemed to be just as happy for the company as Albus was.

During the day, the brothers would go for bike rides or walks. They went into nearby wizarding towns to find butterbeer and go shopping. They visited the reserve again one day and Charlie brought them flying so they could see the expanse of countryside and spot some dragons.

Albus had been blissful since James' arrival in Romania and didn't really want to return to Hogwarts. He knew he was going to be thrown back into reality. Of course, Albus was still thinking about Scorpius, but he knew he would be more prepared for seeing his boyfriend/ex-boyfriend. Albus had never been so grateful to James in his entire life. He felt like they had rekindled their close brotherly bond and perhaps even expanded beyond what they previously had.

Any feelings of anxiety and worry for Scorpius had gone. Now, he only felt anger towards the other boy. He wanted to yell and scream at Scorpius and give him a piece of his mind. Albus channeled his emotions into his upcoming birthday and tried to focus on that rather than anything else.

On the Hogwarts Express, Albus couldn't help but let his eyes wander for Scorpius. Every time he realised what he was doing, Albus would dig his fingernails into his leg. He didn't want to want to see Scorpius. But he did. Of course he did. He wanted an explanation. That wasn't too much to ask.

It was the longest train journey of his whole life.

Albus didn't see Scorpius on the way and felt slightly disappointed. Even when he arrived at the Gryffindor table with Dominique, Scorpius was not there. Albus had to stop the tears that threatened to pour over. He felt like Scorpius had made a fool of him once again. He had been expecting to see Scorpius here and felt stupid for that. Why would Scorpius turn up now after disappearing for so long?

Dominique put a hand over Albus' snapping him out of his trance, "Are you okay?"

"He isn't here," Albus said quietly.

Dominique squeezed his hand, "I'm sorry, Al," she looked around fleetingly before leaning in close and saying, "He's probably shat himself. Knew he would have the living day light kicked out of him. By me of course."

Albus chuckled softly, "Yeah, probably."

They ate dinner and his group of friends were quiet. He knew that they wanted to ask him about Scorpius, he knew they were probably dying to. But they didn't which Albus appreciated. He just didn't want to discuss Scorpius Malfoy in that moment.

As they were heading back up to the Gryffindor common room after dinner, Albus heard his name from down the changing stairs. His heart jumped down his throat and he turned around abruptly, calming down when he realised it was Louis.

He returned down the stairs, leaving Dominique and his friends behind. Louis grabbed his elbow and said, "You need to come with me. It's Scorpius."

Albus' nerves hit him again as he followed Louis quickly down the stairs. They walked against the crowd, Louis still holding him by the arm. They didn't speak. Albus thought of the things that used to make him nervous. Meeting new people, coming to Hogwarts for the first time, walking into the great hall, Quidditch games. He had never been so nervous as he was then in his entire life.

He had also never been so furious.

Louis led him to the boys bathroom, down the corridor from the great hall. It was quiet, everyone had returned to their common rooms except the two people he found in the bathroom.

James and Scorpius.

James had Scorpius pressed against the wall, the blond's tie clutched in his fist. His other hand held Scorpius tightly by the shoulder. His face was screwed up and was threateningly close to Scorpius'. He was whispering harshly to the other boy.

Scorpius did not give James eye contact. His face was turned to the opposite side to where Albus was, and though Albus could see him, he could not see Albus. He was listening to James. Albus felt his fists ball up immediately but then he studied Scorpius further. His ex-boyfriend was a sickly pale, far paler than he had ever seen the boy before. There was large bags under his eyes, he was tired. Even though Scorpius was wearing his uniform, Albus could tell he had lost a lot of weight. His shirt looked baggy, and his normally flawless hair was scruffy and unkempt.

When Albus' heart ached for Scorpius he shunned himself. Why did he just want to scoop up the boy in his arms and tell him he loved him and that everything was going to be okay? Why did he feel sorry for Scorpius and worried about what had happened? He reminded himself of everything Scorpius had put him through and the anger welled up inside him like an old friend.

"James, let go of him."

When Albus' voice rang through the room, both his brother's and Scorpius' heads snapped around. He finally looked Scorpius in the eyes after three weeks. Albus saw nothing there. No emotion. Scorpius looked empty. All the things he had seen in Scorpius before disappeared. His charisma and charm, his confidence. The love in his eyes. Gone. The fascination Albus had once felt for Scorpius was not present. Scorpius was an empty shell.

His train of thought broke when James yelled, "Let me deal with this prick, Al. It's what he deserves!"

"What I deserve is an explanation and it don't think that's going to come with you guys here. So would you mind buggering off so I can sort this myself," Albus said assertively.

"Al! I'm trying to defend-"

"This isn't a problem you can solve, Jamie. I need to deal with this myself, so can you leave? I'll talk to you later."

James begrudgingly let go of Scorpius' tie. Scorpius sunk to the ground, crouching and looking at the floor. As James walked past Albus, he placed a supportive hand on Albus' shoulder. Louis scuttled off behind him.

Scorpius didn't look up at Albus. He made no noise, Albus couldn't even hear Scorpius breathing. He didn't know what to do in that in that moment. Albus had to resist the urge to hug and kiss the boy. He wanted to do nothing more. But he knew he couldn't. He wouldn't.

Albus crouched down next to Scorpius, placed a hand on Scorpius' shoulder and shook. The boy still didn't look up.

"Are you going to even acknowledge my presence or is even that not worth your time?" Albus asked harshly. Scorpius abruptly looked up, looking surprised at Albus' comment. Albus shook his head subtly; of course Scorpius didn't even realise what he had done, "What the fuck happened, Scorpius? Do you realise how worried sick I've been?"

Scorpius lowered his head again, "I don't want to talk about it," he whispered, his voice breaking in the middle.

"Are you kidding me?" Albus said loudly, his anger bubbling up inside him, "Are you fucking kidding me, Scorpius?! You've put me through hell the last few weeks, I haven't known where the fuck you are, you just disappeared and you couldn't even send me a goddamn shitty letter!" The Potter was yelling now and he realised that Scorpius was cringing but didn't care, "And now you can't even find the decency to tell me what happened? How is that fair to me Scorpius?" Scorpius turned his head away and tears formed in his eyes, "Will you not even look at me? I just... I don't get it Scorpius! I... I gave you everything," Albus cried also, wiping his eyes, "I literally gave you everything. I opened up to you like I never had to everyone else... and you threw it back at me. You couldn't even... just tell me what was going on. Do you know how that makes me feel? I was heartbroken, Scor. I thought you loved me and... I thought-"

"I do love you," Scorpius said strongly, "I have never stopped loving you."

"Then why would you do this to me?"

"Albus... I will tell you. Soon. But I need a few days... to get used to things here again."

Albus stood up abruptly, "Don't expect me to be a part of you getting used to things."

Scorpius dragged himself up off the floor. He rubbed a sleeve over his face. Scorpius looked broken. Albus couldn't even guess what had happened to the other boy. It hurt too much to think about it. But Scorpius had always told Albus that he needed to do what was good for him. And he couldn't even think about forgiving Scorpius until he told Albus what was happening.

Scorpius looked at Albus full in the eye and Albus thought he saw a glimmer of the old Scorpius there, "I'm so sorry Albus."

Scorpius walked out of the room without a word more. Albus cried uncontrollably. He leant over the sink, looking at the reflection in the mirror above him. He looked a state. Scorpius had torn him apart. The explanation he wanted hadn't come. And it was devastating.

In the next few days, Albus didn't see Scorpius very much. Scorpius avoided everybody it seemed. The only times Albus saw Scorpius was in the lessons they shared. Scorpius sat apart from Albus and didn't speak to anyone, including Albus. He just seemed to get on his work. He looked fairly better than he had on the first day of Hogwarts, but not much. Albus hadn't seen him in the dorm once. He didn't know whether Scorpius had moved dorms completely or just didn't come back until everyone was asleep, and wake up before they were all up.

Being back at Hogwarts and not being with Scorpius made him miss him more. He missed spending so much time with Scorpius. He still felt confident and he knew he was different to the way he was before he met Scorpius. But something was missing. He missed feeling so completely comfortable with someone. He missed listening to Scorpius and his interesting outlook on life. He missed the intimacy. He just missed everything about Scorpius.

It was Albus' seventeenth birthday and it had been a good day. His friends and family threw a small party on the Gryffindor common room. There was cake, balloons and presents. Albus had a good time, but he couldn't help but feel there was something not right. And he knew what it was.

While they were all crowded around the Gryffindor sofas watching Albus open his last present from James, Scorpius walked past. The room went almost silent as Albus' eyes followed the Malfoy. Scorpius' eyes were bloodshot. He had never seen Scorpius cry properly.

Scorpius went up to the Gryffindor dorms and the party continued. Albus tried to distract himself and eventually, he did. He spoke to James and Dominique. Louis teased Albus over Merlin knows what. Rose told James off, saying he needed to get back to work soon because the people who marked his exams wouldn't care if it was his brothers birthday or not. James did not budge.

Albus went up to his room in the late evening to leave his presents upstairs. Scorpius wasn't there. He must have slipped past them and left. Albus collapsed on his bed for a moment, reading a letter from his parents. When his head hit the pillow he felt something hit his head immediately. He looked under his pillow and found a small box with a card next to it.

He recognised the writing as Scorpius' in a flash.

He ripped open the envelope and began to read.

 _Happy Birthday, Albus. Would you meet me in the room of requirement after 11? I want to talk to you. Scorpius._

Albus' heart beated rapidly as he read the letter over and over. Did Scorpius finally want to speak to him? Could he finally have the explanation he needed to move on?

The Potter went back downstairs to rejoin his party and waited impatiently for eleven o'clock.

-x-

 _Soooo, this is the penultimate chapter! I'm actually really sad to be finishing this story! I've loved writing it. I have a few ideas for stories I could do next, I really want to finish a story I started on my other account called Secrets, which is a George/Draco story (I love weird but wonderful pairings haha) or do a story about Charlie in this world, so kind of a sequel to this story! Tell me what you think! As always, please review! I haven't had any for a while and I'm starting to think everyone hates this story! Please prove me wrong..._


	13. Chapter 13

Just before eleven, Albus got up from the sofas with a nervous smile. Most of his friends had gone back to his dorm. Dominique and James were left, as well as Geoffrey. Albus was tired but there was no way he was not going to not see Scorpius. He needed to hear what Scorpius had to say.

"You're not going to bed are you, Albus?" Geoffrey said with a wide grin.

"No, I'm going to meet... someone," Albus said hesitantly, glancing at James.

James didn't look convinced and stated with an unimpressed tone, "Scorpius," Albus nodded and they fell into silence for a moment, "Why are you giving him the time of day? He doesn't deserve it."

"But I deserve an explanation. I need to know what happened. I think he finally wants to talk to me. I know you don't like him, Jamie. But I need this so I can move forward."

"He's right," Dominique said, "Albus had done the right thing so far. He hasn't chased Scorpius. Scorpius has come to Albus. And Albus needs to know what is going on with his boyfriend- ex-boyfriend sorry!"

Eventually, James nodded in agreement. He wished Albus good luck before he left the Gryffindor common room.

Albus could hardly remember walking to room of requirement. His whole body was shaking in anticipation. After three weeks without knowing what happened to Scorpius, this was terrifying. But he was ready. He needed to know now.

The room of the requirement was the same layout as it always was when Scorpius and Albus visited. The fireplace, the sofa. It reminded Albus of when they had first made love and had done many times after. He didn't want to tarnish the memory of this room, but he was worried this would.

Scorpius was sat on the rug next to the fireplace. His robes were discarded and first few buttons of his shirt were undone. He looked the most relaxed Albus had seen him since the beginning of the week. He almost looked normal with the flames reflected against his white skin.

When he turned around and saw Albus he gave him the faintest smile. Albus returned the smile softly.

"Happy birthday," Scorpius said quietly.

"Thanks," Albus replied, sitting down opposite the blonde, "So... is this where you've been staying?"

"Yes," Scorpius murmured, his eyeline dropping again. They fell into silence and Albus found that he couldn't form any words. It was strangely Scorpius that spoke first, "I've missed you."

"Don't," Albus snapped with a shake of the head, "Don't say that. You don't have the right to say that. You can't say that when you haven't spoken to me for three weeks. I thought you cared about me, Scorpius... I thought you loved me. You don't understand how hard it's been when the person who claims all of that suddenly... disappears! Without one word! I felt like a fool writing to you every day. I felt like... you just wanted to sleep with me and then when you had-"

"Albus! It was never like that!" Scorpius interrupted. Albus realised he was ranting. He had come to hear Scorpius speak and he wasn't doing that, "I do love you. I do care about you. Don't you ever think that I don't."

"What did I do then...?"

Scorpius stared at Albus intensely and Albus felt the swell of his heart again, like he had done when Scorpius looked at him that way, "You haven't done anything," Scorpius paused, as if he was thinking. Albus let him this time, "Albus... my mother died."

Scorpius' words hit him like a truck. He hadn't been expecting that. The thought hadn't crossed his mind that it would be something so serious, something so tragic. And suddenly Albus felt enormously guilty for his anger towards Scorpius. How could he have possibly thought all those bad things about Scorpius when he was going through something so horrible? But Albus reasoned with himself. He didn't know! Scorpius didn't tell him. Teddy didn't even know for Merlin's sake and he was Scorpius' closest relative! But everything made sense now. All of it.

Albus found himself almost speechless, the only words he could manage were, "Oh Merlin... I-I'm so sorry," Albus was shocked when Scorpius began to cry, his shoulders shaking. Albus lunged forward automatically, wrapping his arms around the skinny boy and hugging as tightly as possible. He stroked Scorpius' back until he realised, he began to cry as well. After a few minutes like this, Scorpius' sobbing began to die down and he gripped Albus' sides, unwilling to let go, "How... How did it happen?" Albus whispered.

"She had cancer," Scorpius muttered, "We didn't know... until last August. The healers said it was untreatable. It was a... a quick but aggressive form."

"Is that why you moved here then?" The puzzle was all started to come together for Albus.

"Yes. My dad was angry. He still is. He thought that perhaps the healers in St. Mungo's would be able to do something. But they couldn't. They said they could... prolong it for a few months. But not cure her. I came to Hogwarts... because I didn't want to be too far away. If anything happened. We went back to France for her... funeral. Father likes privacy you see, he didn't tell anybody about it. I'm the same..."

"Scorpius... I just don't understand... why you didn't tell me?" Albus said softly. His hand had wandered up to stroke Scorpius' hair.

"I... Albus from the moment I met you, I felt something for you," Scorpius pulled back so he was looking at Albus. He brought his hand up to rub a thumb over Albus' cheek, "I knew there was something special about you. I have always been... confident in myself. I have always been proud of who I am. And... for some reason, some stupid, silly reason, I didn't want to tell you. Because I didn't want you to... feel sorry for me. I didn't want you to see me vulnerable. I didn't want you to think... I was a burden to you."

Albus' breath caught in his throat, "Scorpius you could never be a burden to me. Don't you ever think that! I just want to be here for you. In every single way. You've... told me to be honest and be yourself. You should have been with me; you shouldn't kept such a big part of your life secret from me."

"I hate you seeing me like this... that was all myself, Albus. I-I... That's me. I can't let people see me vulnerable. That's part of who I am."

"This is part of who you are too, though. And... this part of you would never make me love you any less. It's not healthy to bottle everything up."

Scorpius began to weep again and Albus pulled him in for another embrace. Albus kissed Scorpius' head long and hard and the Malfoy seemed to relax in his arms. Albus hated seeing Scorpius like this more than anything. His heart ached. His head hurt. Any feelings of anger towards Scorpius had washed away. All he wanted to do was look after his love now.

"Tell me... Be honest with me. What are you feeling?"

Scorpius answered immediately and with a sob, "Lost. I feel like... I'm expecting her to walk around the corner at any moment. It's surreal. I feel like I'm on a different planet without her. The world's different now."

Another wave of tears hit Scorpius and Albus caressed his neck and comforted him, "It's okay. It's good to cry. It's a good thing..."

They sat like that for a whole ten minutes. Albus continued to touch Scorpius softly and whisper words of support and love in his ear. Scorpius remained quiet, the only reason Albus knowing he was still awake was Scorpius' digging his fingers into Albus' arm every once in a while.

"Albus..." Scorpius mumbled into his shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"I think... it's time to say live and let die now."

Albus sighed and just said, "Maybe."

Albus and Scorpius stayed in that room that night, slowly falling asleep in each others arms.

The next few weeks were difficult for the couple. They weren't back together really. They didn't kiss or hold hands or have sex anymore. The physical side of the relationship had slipped away. They were friends for now, that's what Albus liked to think Scorpius needed.

Scorpius began to be more open, though he was still holding back. This time it was something different though. He didn't constantly shower Albus with affection and loving words. Albus missed it. One day, Albus asked him about what they were and Scorpius said he needed some time for himself but he also thought that Albus needed some time to understand why Scorpius was the way he is. Albus agreed. After all that had happened, they couldn't just jump back into a relationship.

It didn't mean they didn't spend time together. Albus and Scorpius were still together a lot, though not as much as they were when they were in a relationship. They spent a lot of time in the library, usually in silence. It wasn't the same as before of course, but Albus just appreciated being in Scorpius' company. Sometimes Albus would go to the room or requirement to see Scorpius. They would talk about everything. Scorpius would tell him things about his mum. He would cry sometimes and Albus would comfort him. Every once in a while, Albus would see a glimmer of the old Scorpius. He would make a cheeky remark or his hand would linger on Albus' arm. When he talked about his art, his passion would return.

Surprisingly, Scorpius explained to people what had happened. It seemed he was really trying to reconcile things. He approached Dominique and Louis, Geoffrey and their other roommates and explained himself. He even told James. James said to Albus that he felt overwhelmingly guilty for the way he treated Scorpius. Albus said he felt the same.

Albus still loved Scorpius. Of course he did. And he knew Scorpius still loved him too. There was no reason why they could not make it work again one day. Albus knew he would love it if that happened. But he had to take it slowly. Show Scorpius how much he meant to him. Show him that he still loved him no matter what.

A few weeks after they returned to Hogwarts, Scorpius walked towards his and Albus' spot on the grounds. He carried his notebook. Scorpius thought intensely about the way he had handled his mother's death. Scorpius had always been introverted. He didn't share much with his friends, even at Beauxbatons. He had always preferred to keep to himself and the other students in the French school had always seemed to understand that about him. He was always friendly enough and befriended the people who were interested in him.

When his mother was diagnosed, was when he would pinpoint his walls rising. He had promised himself when he went to Hogwarts that he would not tell anybody about his mother. He needed to stay the person he was, he couldn't let people see him as anyone else than the person he was. But somewhere along the way, he lost himself. He lost his policy of honesty and being open.

The prospect of losing his mother had torn him apart. It also tore his father apart too. He knew deep down inside that his mother and father's marriage was not one of love. But he knew his father well. His father had finally built a life where he wasn't judged for what he had done in the past. He had security at last. And that was going to fall apart. Scorpius didn't realise how similar he was to his father sometimes. He would hold everything in and crumble into himself.

But then Albus came along. And Scorpius didn't feel so torn apart. Albus actually put the pieces back together. He distracted Scorpius from the tragedy that was befalling his family. Albus with his nervous laughter and his sweet words. His hidden passions that Scorpius so wanted to find out. He wanted to draw Albus out of his shell from the moment he met him. He knew he would love what he found. And he did.

Scorpius didn't blame Albus for being mad at him. He didn't realise for so long that he had been coaxing Albus out of all his secrets and inner desires when he wasn't sharing everything about himself to Albus. The irony. He wasn't prepared when his mother died. He didn't know how to tell Albus. How could he explain himself now? And how could he let Albus see him when he was so devastated, so broken? His mother was so important to him. She loved him like no one else. And she was gone. He didn't want Albus to see him like that. He couldn't.

But that was the biggest mistake of his life. Because now he had lost the only person who had made him truly feel something. No one else was like Albus. Albus was like a candle in a dark room. He didn't know if Albus could forgive him. But he would wait forever for him. He didn't want anyone else but Albus. He just had to wait.

Scorpius' head was lowered until he arrived at their spot. He first looked up over the lake. He had found so much beauty in the lake before. But since he had Albus had began a relationship, Albus was the only thing he found beauty in. He was the only thing he ever wanted to draw.

The Malfoy finally looked up and at first, thought he had officially gone mad and was seeing things. He blinked a couple of times before coming to the realisation that Albus was truly sitting there. His loving smile plastered on his face and those wide green eyes welcoming him.

Scorpius couldn't help but grin and said, "You're in my spot."

Albus laughed with a snort and tipped his head to the side, "Gosh. Live and let live, Scorpius."

Scorpius sat down next to Albus, his smile unfailing to departure. Both boys thought that maybe, the love of their life was giving them a chance. And that was the best feeling in the world.

-x-

 _Ah so this story is finished! How sad! I loved writing this story and I'm so relieved to finally post that last chapter as it explains so much! I loved writing this story and I really hope everyone who read it loved it too! I'm going to be finishing/updating an old story called 'Secrets' so watch out for that!_

 _Please review and tell me what you thought of this story! I would love to hear what all of you think! For now, goodbye everyone!_


	14. Sequel details!

Hello everyone! So, I just thought I'd let you all know that I am writing a sequel to this story which I'm very excited about! It's called 'In the Flesh', inspired by the song of one of my favourite bands, Pink Floyd. The story is actually going to revolve around Draco and Chariie, but Albus and Scorpius will be involved a great deal, because it's going to be set at the Romanian Dragon Reserve! Yay!

I'll hopefully be posting the first chapter in the next week. I was planning to post all of my other story 'Secrets' first, but I might just get excited and post it anyway, we shall see. If you want to read it, put me on author alert or just keep checking out for it! If you have any questions about it, feel free to message me or review or what not.

I hope you're all as excited as I am, can't wait for you to read it!


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